Oocyte and embryo metabolomics

Abstract

There is still much we do not understand about the metabolic requirements of oocytes and embryos. Their remarkable metabolic plasticity during in vitro culture has hampered our ability to make significant advances in culture media design that would better support optimal physiology. A new tool, metabolomics, may revolutionize what we know about the interactions between embryos and their culture environment. Armed with this knowledge, we may design more effective culture systems as well as discover metabolic biomarkers that predict oocyte and embryo viability. The objectives of this review are to introduce oocyte and embryo metabolism, review the current state of knowledge in the field, discuss the possibility that oocyte and embryo metabolism is significantly more complex than we have previously realized, examine a metabolomics dataset, and discuss how metabolomics may play a role in furthering our understanding of this exciting field that so significantly impacts the success of in vitro embryo production.