Use of microsensor platform to differentiate metabolic parameters associated with developmental timing and sex of individual bovine blastocysts.

Authors

Ming-Hao Cheng, Kyle J Fresa, Raul A Gonzalez-Castro, Adam J Chicco, Elaine M Carnevale, Thomas W Chen

Published in

Theriogenology. Volume 265. Pages 118075. Jul 18, 2026. Epub Jul 18, 2026.

Abstract

In assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), embryo transfer success is dependent on the selection of a viable embryo which is predominantly based on morphological assessments and timing of development. Methods to further differentiate embryo viability in real time would be valuable for animal producers and have translational value in human fertility clinics. In the present study, the IMSIS (Instrumented Microphysiological System with Integrated Sensors) platform was used to perform label-free measurements of embryo's metabolic activities They include oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), as an indicator of oxidative phosphorylation and an index of extracellular acidification, respectively, and hydrogen peroxide production rate (HPR) as an indicator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this study, bovine oocytes were fertilized using sex-sorted sperms. Metabolic assays were collected on individual blastocysts developing on day 7 (Normal) or day 8-9 (Delayed). Measurements of OCR, ECAR, and HPR did not differ (P > 0.05) between male and female blastocysts. However, OCR was lower (P = 0.01), and ECAR and HPR were also lower (P = 0.09 and 0.06, respectively), in Normal compared with Delayed blastocysts, despite similar morphology and expansion stage. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to establish associations among metabolic variables, with increased variability in Delayed versus Normal. Potentially compromised embryos (Delayed) had greater metabolic activity than Normal. These findings suggest that blastocysts with delayed development exhibit increased metabolic activity and variability, consistent with compensatory or dysregulated metabolism rather than superior quality. The IMSIS platform was able to successfully differentiate Normal from Delayed embryos of similar morphology, highlighting the potential utility of integrated metabolic assessments as an adjunct tool for embryo evaluation in bovine ART.

PMID:
42485709
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jul 2026.

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