Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens
The preservation of chicken embryonic cells is essential for protecting avian genetic resources and enhancing breeding programs. This study investigates the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on the viability, functionality, and adhesion of thawed chicken blastoderm cells (BCs) following cryopreservation...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Lingwei Sun Fuqin Liu Mengqian He Jiehuan Xu Caifeng Wu Shushan Zhagn Jun Gao Jianjun Dai |
| author_facet | Lingwei Sun Fuqin Liu Mengqian He Jiehuan Xu Caifeng Wu Shushan Zhagn Jun Gao Jianjun Dai |
| author_sort | Lingwei Sun |
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| description | The preservation of chicken embryonic cells is essential for protecting avian genetic resources and enhancing breeding programs. This study investigates the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on the viability, functionality, and adhesion of thawed chicken blastoderm cells (BCs) following cryopreservation. After thawing and culturing the cells for 24 h, RA treatment resulted in significantly higher cell viability and adhesion rates compared to the control group, with the 2.0 μM RA group demonstrating the best outcomes. After 48 and 72 h of culture, similar trends were observed, with the 2.0 μM RA group consistently maintaining the highest cell viability and adhesion rates. Furthermore, immunofluorescence TUNEL assays revealed that RA significantly reduced both early and late apoptosis rates, particularly at a concentration of 2.0 μM, which exhibited a strong protective effect. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that RA treatment enhanced the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reflecting improved cellular health. Analysis of the apoptosis-related genes BAX, BCL-2, and Caspase-3 revealed that moderate RA concentrations promoted the expression of anti-apoptotic factors while also upregulating pro-apoptotic factors, with the 2.0 μM RA group exhibiting the highest expression levels. Cell cycle analysis showed that RA significantly influenced the distribution of BCs across different phases, with the 4.0 μM RA group exhibiting the highest proportion of cells in the G1/G0 phase, suggesting an enhanced tolerance to cryopreservation stress. Conversely, the S phase cell population was notably reduced at higher RA concentrations, indicating potential inhibition of cell proliferation. These results suggest that RA not only significantly enhances the survival rates and mitochondrial function of BCs, but also regulates the cell cycle, providing better conditions for BC cryopreservation. Overall, the addition of RA represents a valuable strategy for optimizing cryopreservation techniques in chicken embryonic cells, with implications for avian genetic resource conservation and breeding strategies. |
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| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-989b2d40d8a1401d828e053f64c35bc92025-08-20T02:15:55ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-03-0114750410.3390/cells14070504Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong ChickensLingwei Sun0Fuqin Liu1Mengqian He2Jiehuan Xu3Caifeng Wu4Shushan Zhagn5Jun Gao6Jianjun Dai7Shanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaShanghai Municipal Key Laboratory of Agri-Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, ChinaThe preservation of chicken embryonic cells is essential for protecting avian genetic resources and enhancing breeding programs. This study investigates the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on the viability, functionality, and adhesion of thawed chicken blastoderm cells (BCs) following cryopreservation. After thawing and culturing the cells for 24 h, RA treatment resulted in significantly higher cell viability and adhesion rates compared to the control group, with the 2.0 μM RA group demonstrating the best outcomes. After 48 and 72 h of culture, similar trends were observed, with the 2.0 μM RA group consistently maintaining the highest cell viability and adhesion rates. Furthermore, immunofluorescence TUNEL assays revealed that RA significantly reduced both early and late apoptosis rates, particularly at a concentration of 2.0 μM, which exhibited a strong protective effect. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that RA treatment enhanced the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reflecting improved cellular health. Analysis of the apoptosis-related genes BAX, BCL-2, and Caspase-3 revealed that moderate RA concentrations promoted the expression of anti-apoptotic factors while also upregulating pro-apoptotic factors, with the 2.0 μM RA group exhibiting the highest expression levels. Cell cycle analysis showed that RA significantly influenced the distribution of BCs across different phases, with the 4.0 μM RA group exhibiting the highest proportion of cells in the G1/G0 phase, suggesting an enhanced tolerance to cryopreservation stress. Conversely, the S phase cell population was notably reduced at higher RA concentrations, indicating potential inhibition of cell proliferation. These results suggest that RA not only significantly enhances the survival rates and mitochondrial function of BCs, but also regulates the cell cycle, providing better conditions for BC cryopreservation. Overall, the addition of RA represents a valuable strategy for optimizing cryopreservation techniques in chicken embryonic cells, with implications for avian genetic resource conservation and breeding strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/7/504retinoic acid (RA)blastoderm cells (BCs)cryopreservationcell viabilitycell adhesionapoptosis |
| spellingShingle | Lingwei Sun Fuqin Liu Mengqian He Jiehuan Xu Caifeng Wu Shushan Zhagn Jun Gao Jianjun Dai Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens Cells retinoic acid (RA) blastoderm cells (BCs) cryopreservation cell viability cell adhesion apoptosis |
| title | Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens |
| title_full | Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens |
| title_fullStr | Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens |
| title_short | Preserving Life: How Retinoic Acid (RA) Enhances Cell Viability and Reduces Apoptosis in Cryopreserved Blastocyst Cells of Pudong Chickens |
| title_sort | preserving life how retinoic acid ra enhances cell viability and reduces apoptosis in cryopreserved blastocyst cells of pudong chickens |
| topic | retinoic acid (RA) blastoderm cells (BCs) cryopreservation cell viability cell adhesion apoptosis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/7/504 |
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