Effects of difructose dianhydride （DFA）-IV on in vitro fertilization in pigs

摘要

Difructose dianhydride IV （DFA-IV） is produced from levan, which is a natural polysaccharide that belongs to thefructan family, through the activity of levan fructotransferase （LF） derived from microorganisms. Recently, DFA-IVhas been expected to have diverse applications in the food and medical industry. Here, we examined the potentialapplication of DFA-IV for in vitro fertilization （IVF） in pigs. In the assessment of acrosomal integrity duringincubation, intact acrosomal or viable spermatozoa were highly sustained in 0.1% or 0.25% DFA-IV （69.8%-70.8%,P 〈 0.05）. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels during sperm incubation decreased following the addition of DFA-IV, and 0.1%-0.5% DFA-IV in particular significantly decreased ROS production relative to that seen with no additionor 0.75% DFA-IV. Total fertilization （mono ＋ polyspermic oocyte） rate was significantly higher in the addition of0.1% DFA-IV （94.2%） than with other concentrations （71.8%-86.7%, P 〈 0.05）. When using reduced IVF times andlower sperm numbers, we found that addition of 0.1%-0.5% DFA-IV significantly increased the fertilization rate（P〈0.05）. Fertilized oocytes treated with 0.1% DFA-IV exhibited higher embryonic development and blastocystformation than those treated with other concentrations （P 〈 0.05）. Consequently, the addition of DFA-IV during IVFimproved fertilization and embryonic development, suggesting the possible use of novel sugars for enhancement ofassisted reproductive technology （ART） in mammals.