Cortical granule (CG) distribution in oocytes matured in follicular fluid (FF) aspirated from control (FF-control) and DEHP-treated (FF-DEHP) cows, or in oocyte maturation medium (OMM).

<p>At the end of maturation, oocytes were denuded, fixed and stained with FITC–PNA to evaluate the pattern of CG distribution and counterstained with DAPI. (A) Proportion of oocytes in each CG-distribution type, calculated out of total oocytes for each experimental group. (B) Distribution of CG types within mature and immature oocytes for each experimental group. <i>P</i>-values indicate different CG-distribution patterns within meiotic stages for each experimental group. (C) Representative images of CG-distribution patterns in oocytes: CG type I, characterized by CG aggregates, representing cytoplasmically immature oocytes; CG type II, characterized by CGs localized mainly in the cortical cytoplasm and distributed as individual particles as well as small aggregates, representing partially cytoplasmically mature oocytes; CG type III, characterized by CGs more or less evenly dispersed in the cortical cytoplasm lining the oolemma, representing fully cytoplasmically mature oocytes.