Leonurine (LEO) is pseudoalkaloid that has been isolated from motherwort. It has been found to have various biological activities, including an antioxidant capacity. This study aimed to confirm whether LEO could be used in porcine in vitro culture (IVC) medium for its antioxidant effect and related molecular mechanisms. The results showed that embryos in IVC medium supplemented with 40 μM LEO had an increased blastocyst formation rate, total cell number, and proliferation capacity and a low apoptosis rate. LEO supplementation decreased reactive oxygen species levels and increased glutathione levels. Moreover, LEO-treated embryos exhibited improved intracellular mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced autophagy. In addition, pluripotency related gene was up-regulated while apoptosis and autophagy related genes were down-regulated with LEO supplementation. These results suggest that LEO has a beneficial effect on pre-implantation embryo development by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing mitochondrial function.

中文翻译：

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益母草碱通过减少活性氧的产生和保护线粒体功能来提高体外猪胚胎发育能力

益母草碱 (LEO) 是从益母草中分离出来的假生物碱。已发现它具有多种生物活性，包括抗氧化能力。本研究旨在确认 LEO 是否可用于猪体外培养 (IVC) 培养基中的抗氧化作用和相关分子机制。结果表明，在补充有 40 μM LEO 的 IVC 培养基中的胚胎具有增加的囊胚形成率、总细胞数和增殖能力以及较低的细胞凋亡率。LEO 补充剂降低了活性氧水平并增加了谷胱甘肽水平。此外，LEO 处理的胚胎表现出改善的细胞内线粒体膜电位和减少的自噬。此外，多能性相关基因被上调，而细胞凋亡和自噬相关基因被 LEO 补充下调。这些结果表明，LEO 通过减少氧化应激和增强线粒体功能对着床前胚胎发育具有有益作用。