The effect of cryoprotectant on the quality of post-warming goat oocytes by examining SOD levels.

Background: Vitrification of oocytes can lead to the formation of reactive oxygen species during the in vitro maturation and warming processes. In this study, there is a comparison between the use of commercial cryoprotectant and ethylene glycol + sucrose to observe the antioxidant activity that arises during oxidative stress, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is produced to counteract free radicals that are damaging to cells; the higher the level of SOD in a cell, the further the cell is from damage. Improving oocyte cryopreservation techniques contributes to greater reproductive efficiency in livestock, which plays an important role in supporting sustainable and effective food production.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine whether different cryoprotectant use can affect the intracellular SOD levels in oocytes.

Methods: This study is an experimental laboratory study using goat oocytes divided into 3 treatment groups: control (K) goat oocytes without vitrification, Treatment 1 (P1) goat oocytes vitrified using a commercial cryoprotectant, and Treatment 2 (P2) goat oocytes vitrified using ethylene glycol and 1-M sucrose. All groups were vitrified for 1 week, followed by a warming process. Then, the SOD levels were calculated using SOD ELISA kit.

Result: The results showed that this study has a significance level (p < 0.05) with the control group K having the lowest SOD levels and P2 having the highest SOD levels.

Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of ethylene glycol as a cryoprotectant can maintain SOD levels in oocyte cells.