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REVIEW article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Animal Reproduction - Theriogenology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1641966

This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Animal ReproductionView all articles

Extracellular Vesicles: Key Mediators in In Vitro Embryo Production

Provisionally accepted
Mostafa  PournouraliMostafa Pournourali1Nahid  MizbanNahid Mizban1,2Roxana  EhsaniRoxana Ehsani3Somayeh  EbrahimianSomayeh Ebrahimian4Touba  NadriTouba Nadri5Nima  Azari-DolatabadNima Azari-Dolatabad6,7*
  • 1Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Tehran, Iran
  • 2Alborz Science and Technology Park, Sina Fanavaran Mandegar Company, Kamalshahr, Alborz, Iran
  • 3Department of Molecular Biotechnology, National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
  • 4Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Avicenna Fertility Centre, Tehran, Iran
  • 5Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
  • 6Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiteit Gent, Ghent, Belgium
  • 7Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and AgResearch, 2506 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA, Knoxville, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Nano-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess a lipid bilayer and are secreted from cells into their surrounding environment. The transport of multiple biomolecules, including DNA together with RNA, microRNAs (miRNAs), lipids, proteins, and metabolites, happens through biofluids via EVs for intercellular communication. Extracellular vesicles play crucial roles during the in vitro embryo production (IVEP) process. Specifically, the maturing oocyte benefits from EVs that facilitate cell-to-cell communication and transfer important biomolecules, which improve oocyte development potential. Moreover, EVs help establish important molecular control needed for oocytes to advance into the metaphase II phase, which enables proper fertilization events. In fact, the fertilization process depends heavily on EVs because seminal plasma-derived EVs play an essential role during fertilization, and they improve sperm motility as well as capacitation and the acrosome reaction, which are required for successful fertilization. EVs transport proteins together with RNAs, which enhance sperm capacity to fertilize. Embryos benefit from the optimal growth environment, which is maintained by oviduct and uterus-derived EVs, as they support proper gene expression regulation. EVs produced in the oviduct enable embryo development, and those released by the uterus serve as communication channels for embryo-maternal environment integration required during implantation. These vesicles contain bioactive molecules such as miR-21, miR-26a, and HSP70, which are involved in key reproductive functions including granulosa cell signaling, oocyte maturation, and sperm function regulation. Overall, the reproductive system relies heavily on EVs because these vesicles manage oocyte development as well as the process of fertilization and embryonic development. The communication features of EVs using regulatory molecules indicate their potential role in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs).Advancing our knowledge regarding EVs' mechanisms will support the development of novel strategies to enhance IVEP outcomes. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the roles of EVs in oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo development.

Keywords: extracellular vesicles, Oocyte maturation, Fertilization, Embryo development, intercellular communication

Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Pournourali, Mizban, Ehsani, Ebrahimian, Nadri and Azari-Dolatabad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Nima Azari-Dolatabad, Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiteit Gent, Ghent, Belgium

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