VAS Talk: The importance of a healthy balance in free fatty acids for early life
The PhD school in Veterinary and Animal Sciences is pleased to invite you to the VAS Talk which will be delivered by Professor Hilde Aardema, Utrecht University.
Dr. Hilde Aardema is a veterinarian, European animal reproduction specialist (ECAR diplomate), researcher and academic teacher at the faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. She is the current President of the Association of Embryo Technology in Europe (AETE). Since 2020 she is heading the Reproduction laboratory of Farm Animal Health at Utrecht University. The focus of her research lies on the impact of the maternal (mother) environment on offspring during the early phases of development, from the oocyte towards the embryo. Multiple challenges reach the oocyte and embryo during this extremely important first phase of life, which can be affected by maternal metabolic conditions.
She has large expertise on how a metabolic stress condition of the mother, like a negative energy balance or obesity, which is characterized by elevated levels of free fatty acids in blood impacts early development. Former studies in her group indicated that metabolic conditions in the blood are reflected in the follicle and impact oocyte and embryo developmental competence, depending on the balance in saturated and unsaturated free fatty acids. She demonstrated that cumulus cells appeared to play a major role in the potential protection of the oocyte by their ability to convert the potentially toxic saturated fatty acids, with Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme activity, in harmless mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid.
Recent data in her group demonstrate that the in vitro demonstrated positive effect of oleic acid appears to be translatable to periparturient dairy cows that are fed with oleic acid rich supplements during the metabolic transition period. With oleic acid rich supplementation resulting in increased oocyte yields, most presumably via increased oocyte survival during the negative energy balance. Mono-unsaturated oleic acid also positively affects embryos during the early phases of in vitro development, demonstrated via improved cryosurvival rates of blastocysts after exposure. The focus of her talk will be on the effects of free fatty acids on the cumulus-oocyte-complex and oocyte developmental competence.
The talk will be held on may 9th at 14:30 in Room L05, Department of Veterinary medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Lodi Campus, via dell’Università 6, Lodi
