| Project/Area Number |
22K20535
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
0501:Physical chemistry, functional solid state chemistry, organic chemistry, polymers, organic materials, biomolecular chemistry, and related fields
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| Research Institution | Okayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
FERRE PUJOL Pilar 岡山大学, 異分野融合先端研究コア, 特任助教 (50839008)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | graphene oxide / reduced graphene oxide / oocyte / vitrification / 2D materials / reduced grapehene oxide / cryoprotectant / in vitro maturation / cryopreservation / nanocarbons / reactive oxygen species |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
Nanocarbons such as graphene and graphene oxide (GO) have multiple applications in the biological field. Because of their controllable surface chemistry, such as oxidation levels, and easy functionalization with other molecules, they can be used as ROS donors/quenchers.
This is of special interest in the field of germplasm cryopreservation, where the success is limited at the thawing stage, because excessive ROS production damages the cells. For this, I will study the application of graphene and GO during the thawing and recovery stages after cryopreservation to obtain high quality oocytes.
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
It is necessary to find new solutions to improve cryopreservation technologies for female gametes. For this, we evaluated the capacity of graphene oxide (GO) to protect oocytes during cryopreservation.
For this, we evaluated whether GO exhibited any toxicity or presented any apparent negative effects to oocytes in an in vitro culture setting. After confirming the safety of GO, we proceeded to evaluate its applicability during cryopreservation. When used during the freezing stage, the oocytes presented a higher degree of mortality than those in the control ones, due to mechanical damage caused by a strong adhesion between the cells and GO. In contrast, when used just during the recovery stage, GO exhibited a slightly positive effect to maintain cell viability, but the results were not concluding. With this study, we now understand that further surface modifications are necessary to improve the capacity of GO to be used effectively during oocyte cryopreservation.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
新しい材料の発見と実用的な応用拡大は技術の進展に不可欠です。特に脂質が豊富な卵母細胞は低温ダメージに非常に敏感であり、その凍結成功を改善する進展はほとんどありませんでした。これは生物多様性の保護と動物の繁殖・遺伝学産業の向上に深刻な課題を投げかけます。
この研究の結果は、酸化グラフェン（GO）などの2次元材料が凍結保存技術の限界を克服する基盤としての潜在性を示しています。純粋なGOは卵母細胞の凍結保存に成功しませんでしたが、そのクライオプロテクタントとしての特性を他の分子で修飾する可能性は無限であり、この分野での研究を進める努力が必要です。
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