Eicosapentaenoic acid supplemented to in vitro maturation medium results in lesser lipid content and intracellular reactive oxygen species in blastocysts of cattle

•Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) decreased bovine embryo lipid content.•EPA-supplemented IVM medium decreased intracellular ROS level in bovine embryos.•EPA-supplemented IVM medium did not modify bovine embryo development. Sub-optimal cattle embryo development to the blastocyst stage still is a problem when conducting in vitro production (IVP) procedures. Supplementation of in vitro maturation (IVM) medium with omega 3-polyunsaturated eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an approach that might have positive effects on lipid metabolism of cattle oocytes, potentially improving subsequent embryo development. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of EPA addition to serum-free IVM medium on pronuclear formation after in vitro fertilization, cleavage, and blastocyst rates. Effects of EPA on lipid accumulation and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation with IVP of cattle embryos was also investigated. In all experiments, cumulus-oocyte complexes were matured in IVM medium supplemented with 0 nM, 1 nM, or 1 μM EPA for 24 h. Pronuclear formation, cleavage, and blastocyst rates were similar for embryos when there was supplementation of EPA at all concentrations to those of the control group (P > 0.05). The inclusion of 1 nM EPA in medium resulted in a greater lipid content and less intracellular ROS in day 8-embryos compared with those of the Control group (P < 0.05). There were no differences, however, when there was inclusion of 1 μM EPA compared to embryos of the Control group at the day 8 developmental stage (P > 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with IVM medium with the 1 nM EPA concentration resulted in a lesser blastocyst lipid and intracellular ROS concentration, without modifying embryo development, therefore, EPA could be a desirable supplement to improve embryo quality in cattle.