Taurine Promotes In-vitro Follicle Development, Oocyte Maturation, Fertilization and Cleavage of rats

It is well known that a large quantity of taurine is present in mammalian ovaries. Taurine reportedly promotes the secretion of female reproductive hormones by stimulating hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis function. Therefore, we speculated that taurine may have beneficial effects on follicle growth, oocyte maturation, fertilization and cleavage. Here, we cultured rat follicles, immature oocytes and sperms in vitro and treated with taurine to observe the changes in follicle diameter, estradiol concentration as well as the rate of oocytes maturation, fertilization and cleavage using an inverted microscope. The results showed that taurine can elevate ovarian follicles growth and oocyte maturation, fertilization, and cleavage rates in vitro, which may be attributed to its osmoregulation and stimulation on the estradiol secretion. Our results provide important insights into taurine application in female production, although the underlying mechanism need to be further addressed.