Meiotic competence and DNA damage of porcine oocytes exposed to an elevated temperature

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of the length of exposure to an elevated temperature (41 °C) on the meiotic competence and DNA damage of porcine oocytes. Oocytes were recovered from ovaries, loaded into straws, and then exposed at 41.0 or 38.5 °C (sham control) for 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 h, followed by culture for 44 h. The proportion of oocytes reaching the metaphase II (MII) stage gradually decreased with increasing exposure time, irrespective of the exposure temperature. A higher proportion of oocytes stored at 38.5 °C reached MII (57–63%) than those exposed to 41 °C (14–29%; P < 0.01). The proportion of total oocytes with DNA fragmentation gradually increased with increasing exposure time, irrespective of the exposure temperature. The proportion of DNA fragmentation in total oocytes exposed to 41 °C (37–57%) was higher ( P < 0.01) than that in total oocytes stored at 38.5 °C (14–24%). When the oocytes were stored at 38.5 °C for up to 1.5 h, there were no differences in the proportions of MII-stage oocytes, with DNA-fragmented nuclei among all groups ( P > 0.05). However, a higher proportion of MII-stage oocytes exposed to 41 °C for more than 1 h exhibited DNA-fragmented nuclei, compared with MII-stage oocytes stored at 38.5 °C ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure of porcine oocytes to an elevated temperature had a detrimental effect on the meiotic competence and quality of oocytes; furthermore, the effect was dependent on the duration of exposure.