This new study explores how to improve OPU-IVF efficiency in high-quality Wagyu cattle exposed to high temperatures. Systematic folic acid supplementation in 20 clinically healthy Wagyu heifers under controlled heat stress for 20 d significantly reduced inflammatory signaling molecules linked to heat stress, while enhancing their antioxidant capacity and increasing estrogen levels. These changes improve the quality of cattle oocytes in hot conditions and boost the success rate of artificially cultivated embryos. The study also shows that folic acid helps cattle better adapt to high temperatures by affecting metabolic pathways related to energy use and cellular repair, such as increasing activity in purine and amino acid metabolism.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.