Phytanic acid-derived peroxisomal lipid metabolism in porcine oocytes

Lipid metabolism plays an important role in oocyte maturation. The peroxisome is the fundamental
mediator for this mechanism. In this study, we investigated the peroxisomal lipid metabolism in porcine
oocytes. Phytanic acid (PA) was chosen as an activator of alpha-oxidation in peroxisomes. Oocyte
maturation, embryo development, immunocytochemistry of peroxisomal lipid activities, and staining of
mitochondrial potentials were assessed. We found that 40 mM PA not only increased porcine oocyte
maturation and embryonic development, but also upregulated the expression of genes and proteins
related to activities of the peroxisomal lipid metabolism (PHYH, PEX19, and PEX subfamilies) and mitochondrial potentials (NRF1 and PGC1a). Moreover, PA upregulated the lipid droplet and fatty acid content in the oocytes. Moreover, mitochondria were activated and the mitochondrial membrane potential was increased after PA treatment, resulting in the production of more ATPs in the oocytes. Our findings suggest that the degradation of PA via alpha-oxidation in the peroxisome may potentiate oocyte
maturation processes, peroxisomal lipid oxidation, and mitochondria activities