Figure 3.

 Spindle morphology of oocytes during first meiotic cleavages and two‐cell embryos during second and subsequent mitosis after treatment with different concentrations of curcumin. Chromatin shown in red, α‐tubulin in green. (A) Oocyte treated with curcumin at the GV stage and cultured during time necessary for completion of I meiosis. (B) Embryos treated with curcumin at two‐cell stage and cultured for time necessary to undergo second and subsequent cleavages. a. control, b. 20 μm, c. 30 μm, d. 40 μm and e. 50 μm curcumin. Scale bar: 20 μm. Curcumin changed spindle morphology in both oocytes and embryos in a dose‐dependent manner. Microtubules of spindles elongated and were irregular. In oocytes treated with 30 and 40 μm curcumin, chromosomes were dispersed and not properly aligned. Highest concentration of curcumin totally inhibited spindle formation; arrow points to the polar body.