Melatonin Effects on Oocyte Maturation and Embryonic Development

Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule that orchestrates a range of protective and regulatory functions during the earliest stages of mammalian reproduction. By acting as a potent antioxidant and engaging specific membrane receptors, it modulates mitochondrial activity, limits reactive oxygen species, and shapes the metabolic and epigenetic landscape of the maturing oocyte. Endogenously synthesised within oocyte mitochondria and routinely added to culture media, melatonin enhances both nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation, improves ATP production, and supports the transition from fertilisation to blastocyst formation. Its benefits span species—from porcine and bovine to ovine and buffalo—where it consistently raises developmental competence, improves cryotolerance and preserves genomic and mitochondrial integrity under physiological and experimental stressors.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has uncovered the essential role of a key oxidative stress regulator in early embryogenesis, demonstrating that melatonin supplementation can partly rescue blastocyst development in porcine embryos subjected to high-glucose metabolic stress. This study elucidates how melatonin mitigates impaired antioxidant responses to support embryo viability. Seminal research in porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer models has shown that melatonin attenuates reactive oxygen species accumulation, maintains mitochondrial membrane potential and reduces DNA double-strand breaks, thereby enhancing the developmental competence of cloned embryos under oxidative challenge. Collectively, these findings establish melatonin as a critical safeguard of mitochondrial function and genomic stability in assisted reproductive technologies.

Melatonin Effects on Oocyte Maturation and Embryonic Development publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in melatonin effects on oocyte maturation and embryonic development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules derived from oxygen that can damage DNA, proteins and lipids if not regulated.

In vitro maturation (IVM): The laboratory process by which oocytes complete meiosis and reach metaphase II outside the organism.

Mitochondrial biogenesis: The cellular process that increases mitochondrial mass and function to meet energy demands.

Blastocyst: A stage of embryonic development characterised by a fluid-filled cavity and distinct inner cell mass and trophectoderm.

References

1. Mitochondria of Porcine Oocytes Synthesize Melatonin, Which Improves Their In Vitro Maturation and Embryonic Development. Antioxidants (2024).
2. Effect of melatonin on developmental competence, mitochondrial distribution, and intensity of fresh and vitrified/thawed in vitro matured buffalo oocytes. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology (2024).
3. Developmental, cytogenetic and epigenetic consequences of removing complex proteins and adding melatonin during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2023).
4. NRF2 attenuation aggravates detrimental consequences of metabolic stress on cultured porcine parthenote embryos. Scientific Reports (2024).
5. Melatonin enhances the developmental competence of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos by preventing DNA damage induced by oxidative stress. Scientific Reports (2017).