Abstract: The oocyte cryopreservation as an important technology of in vitro fertilization (IVF), is also the main way to preserve female fertility. Oocyte cryopreservation is easy to cause irreversible damage to oocytes. The cumulus cells (CCs) play an important role in the in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes. However, the cryopreservation could also damage CCs besides oocytes. It is known that vitrification/thawing may have potential effects on oocytes (including mature and immature oocytes). These effects could include the changes of some important molecules related to the cellular events during oocyte development and maturation, such as oocyte maturation (GDF9, BMP15), apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-2), cytoskeleton (CK8, ACTB), cell cycle (CCNA1, MCM10), gap junction (GJA1), developmental capacity (HDAC1, STAT3, SMARCAL1 and DNMT3B), lipid metabolism (cGMP), etc. The changes of those molecules before and after the oocyte vitrification were summarized in this review, which provide us a theoretical and experimental basis for improving the oocyte vitrification.

Key words: Oocytes, Cumulus cells, Vitrification, Cryopreservation, Genes