Cumulus cells mediate the protective effect of the marine carotenoid fucoxanthin against postovulatory oocyte aging via NRF2 signaling

Fucoxanthin at 5 μM preserves mitochondrial membrane potential and redox balance in postovulatory-aged mouse oocytes, with an eight-fold JC-1 aggregate-to-monomer increase.

• Why it matters: Postovulatory oocyte aging is linked to oxidative stress, and FX’s NRF2-dependent site of action is unclear because metaphase-II oocytes lack a nucleus.
• What they did: Intact cumulus-oocyte complexes from superovulated ICR mice were aged ex vivo for 12 h (or 24 h for spindle checks) with FX (1–10 μM) or astaxanthin (5 μM), and NRF2 dependence was tested using ML385.
• The result: FX reduced ROS and increased glutathione and these effects were abolished by ML385; FX also increased cumulus-cell NRF2 nuclear localization, implicating cumulus cells in NRF2-mediated protection.

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