Abstract：
Propyl gallate (PG) is one of the most widely used antioxidants in food products, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Increased research has suggested that exposure to PG influences reproductive health in humans and animals. However, until now, it has not yet been confirmed whether PG would impact oocyte quality. In this study, the hazardous effects of PG on oocyte meiotic maturation were investigated in mice. The findings showed that PG exposure compromises oocyte meiosis by inducing mitochondrial stress which activates apoptosis to trigger oocyte demise. Moreover, DNA damage was significantly induced in PG-treated oocytes, which might be another cause of oocyte developmental arrest and degeneration. Besides, the level of histone methylation (H3K27me2 and H3K27me3) in oocyte was also significantly increased by PG exposure. Furthermore, PG-induced oxidative stress was validated by the increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which might be the underlying reason for these abnormities. In conclusion, the foregoing findings suggested that PG exposure impaired oocyte meiotic maturation by yielding mitochondrial stress to activate apoptosis, inducing DNA damage and oxidative stress, and altering histone methylation level.
摘要：
没食子酸丙酯（PG）是食品中使用最广泛的抗氧化剂之一，化妆品和制药行业。越来越多的研究表明，暴露于PG会影响人类和动物的生殖健康。然而,直到现在,目前尚未证实PG是否会影响卵母细胞质量.在这项研究中,在小鼠中研究了PG对卵母细胞减数分裂成熟的危险作用。研究结果表明，PG暴露通过诱导线粒体应激来破坏卵母细胞减数分裂，从而激活细胞凋亡以触发卵母细胞死亡。此外，在PG处理的卵母细胞中显著诱导DNA损伤,这可能是卵母细胞发育停滞和退化的另一个原因。此外,PG暴露也显著增加了卵母细胞中组蛋白甲基化水平(H3K27me2和H3K27me3)。此外，PG诱导的氧化应激通过增加活性氧（ROS）的水平得到验证，这可能是这些异常的根本原因。总之,上述发现表明，PG暴露通过产生线粒体应激激活细胞凋亡而损害卵母细胞减数分裂成熟，诱导DNA损伤和氧化应激，和改变组蛋白甲基化水平。
