Investigate the protective effects of L-carnitine (LC) on cell damage of oocytes following cryopreservation-thawing

Supplementation of L-carnitine (LC) to in vitro maturation (IVM) medium has been reported to improve the cryotolerance of the oocytes. However, potential effects of these procedures, such as transcriptional regulation during cryopreservation are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of LC on cell damage of oocytes following cryopreservation-thawing. The oocytes, collected for C57 female mice (8 to 10-week-old), were divided into 4 groups: LMXB-1 (fresh and non-vitrificated), LMXB-2 (vitrification), LMXB-3 (vitrification + 1 mg/ml LC) and LMXB-4 (vitrification 2 mg/ml LC). RNA sequencing and in silico pathway analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that may be involved in oocyte viability after vitrification.