EFFECT OF Nigella sativa SEEDS DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION ON OOCYTE MATURATION AND EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN MICE

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate developmental competence of oocytes and embryos upon dietary Nigella sativa seed (N. sativa) supplementation. Developmental competence of oocytes and embryos of mice supplemented with N. sativa seeds (N=25; 5.0%) compared to control (N=25; not receive N. sativa) were investigated. Female mice were injected with 7.5 IU of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) followed by 7.5 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) after 48h and mated with males of proven fertility. Immature GV oocytes were harvested from ovaries after 48h of PMSG injection for investigating oocyte quality, timing of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar bodies extrusion and maturation rate (%). Late one-cell stage embryos were harvested from oviducts after 29-30 h of hCG and followed for cleavage injection whereas blastocyst embryos were harvested from uteri at 96 h of hCG and evaluated. The results indicated improvement of oocyte quality in N. sativa group whereas GVBD and maturation (%) were not differed between N. sativa and control groups. Although N. sativa seeds did not change timing of cleavage to two-cell stage embryos, it significantly (P<0.05) increased the quality of embryos in N. sativa group. Offspring number (9.2 ± 0.34 & 8.1 ± 0.29) and weight (11.71 ± 0.41 & 9.72 ± 0.36) of litter size at birth were significantly (P<0.05) increased in the N. sativa group compared to control. In conclusion, supplementation of N. sativa could increase reproductive performance of mice through the improvement of oocyte quality and preimplantation embryo development.