Abstract—The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-oxidative effect of L-ascorbic acid (AsA) and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) on in-vitro maturation of Nili Ravi buffalo cumulus enclosed oocytes (CEOs) and cumulus denuded oocytes (CDOs). The medium without any supplementation was used in control group. In treatment groups the medium was supplemented in following combinations (i) 100 M H₂O₂ (ii) 100M H₂O₂ + 25 M 2-ME + 250 M AsA (iii) 100M H₂O₂ + 25 M 2-ME (iv) 100M H₂O₂ + 250 M AsA. In absence of H₂O₂ the degeneration at 24 hrs was lower. The combined additives reduced the degeneration of oocytes and increased the proportion of MII CDOs to similar levels to those achieved by CEO. Cumulus cells protect oocytes from oxidative stress. The supplementation of medium with 100M H₂O₂ + 25 M 2-ME + 250 M AsA, for the culture of denuded oocytes effectively counteracts the oxidative stress.  
 
Index Terms—in vitro maturation, reactive oxygen species; MII, cumulus cells, denuded oocytes

Cite:Ikram Ullah, Benish Shahid, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, Samina Jalali, Khalid Farooq, and Akbar Ali, "Combination of L-Ascorbic Acid and 2- Mercaptoethanol Reduces the Damaging Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide During in Vitro Maturation of Nili Ravi Buffalo Denuded Oocytes," International Journal of Pharma Medicine and Biological Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 22-27, January 2019. doi: 10.18178/ijpmbs.8.1.22-27