Oleic Acid Attenuates Palmitic Acid-Induced Impairments in Mouse Blastocyst Development
Abstract
Palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA) are the most abundant saturated and monounsaturated non-esterified fatty acids, respectively, in serum. The consequences of PA and OA treatment on preimplantation mouse embryo development were investigated. It was hypothesized that OA treatment from the two-cell stage onwards would attenuate PA-induced reductions in mouse blastocyst development. PA significantly reduced development to the blastocyst stage. Transcript analysis revealed that PA increased ER stress pathway markers activating transcription factor 3 and C/EBP homologous protein transcripts, and XBP1 splicing. Co-culture of PA-treated embryos with OA prevented this PA-induced ER stress and rescued blastocyst development. Cytoplasmic lipid droplet accumulation was significantly increased by OA co-treatment. The results indicate that PA treatment induces ER stress, which limits lipid droplet accumulation and impairs blastocyst development. Co-treatment with OA is protective in reducing PA-induced ER stress and developmental impairments. These findings have applications in improving our understanding of embryo physiology and fertility outcomes for obese patients.