What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to explore how vitrification affects the expression of integrin αV and β3 in mouse oocytes at different maturation stages.

July 12, 2026Open Access

Vitrification altered αV and β3 integrin expression in mouse oocytes in a maturation stage-dependent manner

SASahar AndiQazvin University of Medical Sciences FRFarzad RajaeiQazvin University of Medical Sciences SDShahram DarabiQazvin University of Medical Sciences

Key Points

This study aims to explore how vitrification affects the expression of integrin αV and β3 in mouse oocytes at different maturation stages.
400 mouse oocytes were collected and divided into groups based on vitrification status and maturation stage.
Vitrification was performed using the Cryotop method and stored in liquid nitrogen.
Integrin expression was assessed using immunocytochemistry and RT-qPCR techniques.
Post-warming survival rates were similar between vitrified and non-vitrified GV and MII oocytes (90% vs. 88%, P > 0.05).
Significantly higher αV and β3 protein expression was observed in MII oocytes compared to GV oocytes regardless of vitrification.
Vitrification significantly reduced αV and β3 protein expression in MII oocytes (P < 0.05 for αV, P < 0.001 for β3).

Abstract

Abstract Objective Integrin αVβ3 has been implicated in oocyte membrane organization and sperm–oocyte interaction. This study investigated the effects of vitrification on post-warming survival and on the surface expression of integrin αV and β3 subunits in mouse oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase II (MII) stages. Materials and methods A total of 400 oocytes were collected from NMRI mice and allocated into four equal groups: non-vitrified GV, vitrified GV, non-vitrified MII, and vitrified MII ( n = 100 per group). Vitrification was performed using the Cryotop method, followed by one month of storage in liquid nitrogen at − 196 °C. Post-warming survival was assessed morphologically. Integrin αV and β3 expression was evaluated at the protein level by immunocytochemistry and at the transcript level by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Results Vitrification did not significantly affect post-warming survival rates in GV or MII oocytes compared with their non-vitrified counterparts (90% vs. 88%, P > 0.05). Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that both αV and β3 surface protein expression was significantly higher in MII oocytes than in GV oocytes, irrespective of vitrification status. Vitrification significantly reduced αV and β3 protein expression in MII oocytes compared with non-vitrified MII oocytes ( P 0.05). Quantitative RT-PCR broadly corroborated these findings: non-vitrified MII oocytes exhibited the highest transcript levels for both subunits, and β3 mRNA was significantly decreased in vitrified MII oocytes ( P 0.05). Conclusion Despite preserving post-warming morphological survival, vitrification induced significant alterations in αV and β3 integrin expression in a maturation stage-dependent manner, with MII oocytes being disproportionately affected. These findings suggest that molecular analysis of membrane-associated proteins may provide information complementary to morphological criteria when assessing oocyte quality following cryopreservation.

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