Meta-Analysis of the Addition of Exogenous Antioxidants to in vitro Maturation Medium: Improved in vitro Nuclear Maturation of Animal Oocyte

The use of antioxidants in in vitro maturation (IVM) media has been widely suggested, although this practice's evidence base is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine whether supplementing the IVM media with exogenous antioxidants would enhance the nuclear maturation and growth of the oocytes of domestic animals. A literature search was conducted using the databases published up to April 2019 in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The primary outcome was the full oocyte maturation (MII %) rate (cytoplasmic and nuclear). In the final assessment, a total of 19 published experimental researches were included. There was a general statistically significant impact on MII oocyte in domestic animals by adding antioxidant supplements to the IVM medium. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model to predict odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The MII % in maturation medium supplemented with antioxidant was significantly better than maturation medium without antioxidant, (OR=0.59; 95% CI 0.48–0.72; I-square=40%; P=0.034). These results demonstrated that antioxidant supplements in domestic animals improved the MII percentage.