Fatty acid metabolism during maturation affects glucose uptake and is essential to oocyte competence

Fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is essential for oocyte maturation in mice. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of etomoxir (a FAO inhibitor; 100 μM), carnitine (1 mM), and palmitic acid (1 or 100 μM) during maturation on metabolism and gene expression of the oocyte and cumulus cells, and subsequent embryo development in the mouse. Carnitine significantly increased embryo development, while there was a decrease in development following maturation with 100 μM palmitic acid or etomoxir (P<0.05) treatment. Glucose consumption per cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) was decreased after treatment with carnitine and increased following etomoxir treatment (P<0.05). Intracellular oocyte lipid content was decreased after carnitine or etomoxir exposure (P<0.05). Abundance of Slc2a1 (Glut1) was increased after etomoxir treatment in the oocyte and cumulus cells (P<0.05), suggesting stimulation of glucose transport and potentially the glycolytic pathway for energy production when FAO is inhibited. Abundance of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (Cpt2) tended to increase in oocytes (P=0.1) after treatment with 100 μM palmitic acid and in cumulus cells after exposure to 1 μM palmitic acid (P=0.07). Combined with carnitine, 1 μM palmitic acid increased the abundance of Acsl3 (P<0.05) and Cpt2 tended to increase (P=0.07) in cumulus cells, suggesting FAO was increased during maturation in response to stimulators and fatty acids. In conclusion, fatty acid and glucose metabolism are related to the mouse COC, as inhibition of FAO increases glucose consumption. Stimulation of FAO decreases glucose consumption and lipid stores, positively affecting subsequent embryo development, while an overabundance of fatty acid or reduced FAO negatively affects oocyte quality.