Extracellular vesicles: emerging paradigms in bovine embryo-maternal communication

Abstract

The oviduct and uterus provide an optimal environment for early embryo development, where effective communication between the embryo and the maternal reproductive tract is crucial for establishing and maintaining pregnancy. Oviductal and uterine-derived EVs play pivotal roles in this maternal-embryonic communication and in facilitating early embryo development. However, despite the ability of in vitro culture methods to produce viable embryos, the lack of exchange between the embryo and the mother often results in lower-quality embryos than those derived in vivo. Therefore, there is a pressing need to increase our understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying embryo interaction with the oviduct and endometrium through EVs and to develop models capable of mimicking the in vivo environment. This review aims to provide up-to-date insights into the communication between the mother and pre-implantation bovine embryo, exploring their applications and perspectives in the field.

Keywords: extracellular vesicles; pre-implantational embryo development; reproductive fluids; reproductive technologies.

Figure 1. Schematic representation of embryo–maternal interaction mediated by oviductal and uterine EVs in vitro and in vivo, and perspectives on studying this communication in vitro. Figure created with BioRender.com.