Inhibition of cathepsin B activity prevents deterioration in the quality of in  vitro aged porcine oocytes

The activity of cathepsin B, a member of the lysosomal protease family, directly correlates with oocyte quality and subsequent embryonic development. However, its biological function during the progression of in  vitro aging of oocytes in pigs has not been demonstrated. Here, we showed that cathepsin B activity was dramatically increased during in vitro aged oocytes. The inhibition of cathepsin B activity prevented the decline of the quality of aged oocytes and improved their subsequent developmental comp etence.

Source: Theriogenology - May 4, 2018 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Shuang Liang, Hao Jiang, Xing-Hui Shen, Jia-Bao Zhang, Nam-Hyung Kim Source Type: research