Forskolin-Induced Lipid-Droplet Remodeling Is Associated with Improved Redox Homeostasis and Cryotolerance of Vitrified Porcine Oocytes and Parthenogenetic Embryos
5 affiliations
- 1Shanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Breeding Pig, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Resources Evaluation and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201106, China
- 3Jiading District Meishan Pig Breeding Center, Shanghai 201807, China
- 4Shanghai Jiading District Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Shanghai 201899, China
- 5College of Animal Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Abstract
Cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes and embryos is essential for the long-term conservation of livestock germplasm resources. Porcine oocytes and embryos accumulate high levels of intracellular lipids. This heavy lipid load aggravates vitrification-related oxidative stress and mitochondrial redox disturbance, greatly reducing cellular cryotolerance and hindering reliable preservation of indigenous pig germplasm. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive metabolic intervention strategy to mitigate lipid-associated oxidative cryodamage and improve the post-thaw quality of porcine oocytes and parthenogenetic embryos. Porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes were treated with forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, throughout in vitro maturation. For embryo assays, parthenogenetic embryos received continuous forskolin supplementation during oocyte maturation and were vitrified at Day 2 (cleavage stage). Vitrification disrupted lipid-droplet structural integrity and perturbed multiple metabolic pathways. Enrichment of starch, sucrose and galactose metabolism should be interpreted with caution as computational outputs, alongside changes in glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Cryoinjury further induced mitochondrial depolarization, excessive reactive oxygen species production, redox imbalance and early apoptosis, ultimately impairing cell viability and embryonic developmental competence. Continuous forskolin exposure during oocyte in vitro maturation (with matching treatment for embryo groups) triggered lipid-droplet remodeling. This remodeling was associated with restored mitochondrial redox homeostasis and suppressed oxidative stress and apoptosis in warmed oocytes and embryos. Forskolin treatment enhanced post-thaw survival and cleavage rates of vitrified oocytes, as well as survival of cryopreserved embryos. By contrast, blastocyst formation rate showed only a numerical, non-significant increase. In conclusion, non-invasive forskolin-driven lipid-droplet remodeling can mitigate vitrification-triggered oxidative damage to lipid droplets and mitochondria. This work provides a practical pre-cryopreservation optimization strategy based on redox protection. It supports improved oocyte experimental protocols and offers useful references for germplasm conservation of rare and endangered pig breeds.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026forskolininduced,
title = {{Forskolin-Induced Lipid-Droplet Remodeling Is Associated with Improved Redox Homeostasis and Cryotolerance of Vitrified Porcine Oocytes and Parthenogenetic Embryos}},
author = {Jiehuan Xu and Yongliang Chen and Shaoli Cai and Jun Gao and Mengqian He and Caifeng Wu and Jianjun Dai and Shushan Zhang and Yi Bian and Lingwei Sun},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/cells15201909},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/20/1909},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Forskolin-Induced Lipid-Droplet Remodeling Is Associated with Improved Redox Homeostasis and Cryotolerance of Vitrified Porcine Oocytes and Parthenogenetic Embryos
AU - Jiehuan Xu
AU - Yongliang Chen
AU - Shaoli Cai
AU - Jun Gao
AU - Mengqian He
AU - Caifeng Wu
AU - Jianjun Dai
AU - Shushan Zhang
AU - Yi Bian
AU - Lingwei Sun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Cells
DO - 10.3390/cells15201909
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/20/1909
AB - Cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes and embryos is essential for the long-term conservation of livestock germplasm resources. Porcine oocytes and embryos accumulate high levels of intracellular lipids. This heavy lipid load aggravates vitrification-related oxidative stress and mitochondrial redox disturbance, greatly reducing cellular cryotolerance and hindering reliable preservation of indigenous pig germplasm. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive metabolic intervention strategy to mitigate lipid-associated oxidative cryodamage and improve the post-thaw quality of porcine oocytes and parthenogenetic embryos. Porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes were treated with forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, throughout in vitro maturation. For embryo assays, parthenogenetic embryos received continuous forskolin supplementation during oocyte maturation and were vitrified at Day 2 (cleavage stage). Vitrification disrupted lipid-droplet structural integrity and perturbed multiple metabolic pathways. Enrichment of starch, sucrose and galactose metabolism should be interpreted with caution as computational outputs, alongside changes in glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Cryoinjury further induced mitochondrial depolarization, excessive reactive oxygen species production, redox imbalance and early apoptosis, ultimately impairing cell viability and embryonic developmental competence. Continuous forskolin exposure during oocyte in vitro maturation (with matching treatment for embryo groups) triggered lipid-droplet remodeling. This remodeling was associated with restored mitochondrial redox homeostasis and suppressed oxidative stress and apoptosis in warmed oocytes and embryos. Forskolin treatment enhanced post-thaw survival and cleavage rates of vitrified oocytes, as well as survival of cryopreserved embryos. By contrast, blastocyst formation rate showed only a numerical, non-significant increase. In conclusion, non-invasive forskolin-driven lipid-droplet remodeling can mitigate vitrification-triggered oxidative damage to lipid droplets and mitochondria. This work provides a practical pre-cryopreservation optimization strategy based on redox protection. It supports improved oocyte experimental protocols and offers useful references for germplasm conservation of rare and endangered pig breeds.
SN - 2073-4409
ER -