L-palmitoylcarnitine supplementation improves oocyte quality and embryo development derived from obese mice

Abstract

Changes in fatty acid composition caused by diet or exposure to diets that promote obesity can impact the quality of eggs and embryos, as well as the health of the resulting offspring. Palmitoylcarnitine, as an important intermediate for fatty acid transport across the inner mitochondrial membrane, undergoes a substantial increase during oocyte maturation. However, its impact on oocyte/embryo development remains unknown. In the present study, by establishing a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced model of obesity, we systematically evaluated the effects of palmitoylcarnitine supplementation on oocyte competence and embryo quality derived from obese mice. We found that palmitoylcarnitine supplement during in vitro culture markedly ameliorates the meiotic defects and genomic instability in HFD oocytes. The abnormal mitochondrial distribution and the lowered mitochondrial membrane potential in HFD oocytes are also prevented simultaneously, indicative of the improved mitochondrial function. Moreover, palmitoylcarnitine administration is capable of suppressing blastocyst apoptosis and promoting early embryo development from HFD mice. Taken together, our results suggest that palmitoylcarnitine has beneficial effects on oocyte quality exposed to maternal obesity via modulating meiotic structure and energy metabolism.