Effects of plant polyphenols on ovarian follicular reserve in aging ratsThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in this special issue entitled “Second International Symposium on Recent Advances in Basic, Clinical, and Social Medicine” and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process.

Abstract

The pool of ovarian primordial follicles is established during embryonic development or at birth. During the development from primordial to primary, secondary, and antral follicles, only a small portion of follicles can mature and successfully ovulate; the others are destined to degenerate through apoptotic or atretic loss. As aging advances, females ultimately enter the cessation phase of the estrous cycle and are no longer capable of fertilization. The presumption is that if we can slow down the process of folliculogenesis or decrease follicle loss, females may have a larger ovarian follicular reserve and a longer reproductive lifespan. In our study, rats underwent intragastric administration with tea polyphenols, quercetin (meletin), genistein, or resveratrol, once a day for 4 months (from age 12 to 15 months), to test whether they have positive effects on follicular reserve or ovarian functions. The results showed that rats treated with tea polyphenols (27.8 +/- 3.2) and quercetin (36.5 +/- 4.1) had a comparable number of healthy follicles to those of controls (26.9 +/- 3.8), although significantly fewer atretic follicles were observed in the tea polyphenol group (43.4 +/- 5.9 vs 79.7 +/- 7.5; p < 0.001). Remarkably, both genistein- and resveratrol-treated rats had more healthy follicles (respectively, 42.8 +/- 3.9, p < 0.05; and 51.9 +/- 6.4, p < 0.001) and fewer atretic follicles (respectively, 58.4 +/- 8.0, p < 0.05; and 51.0 +/- 6.2, p < 0.01) than controls. These results indicate that genistein and resveratrol can increase the ovarian follicular reserve and prolong the ovarian lifespan in rats, and their positive effects may be not only due to their intervention in the transition from primordial to primary follicle, but also due to the inhibiting effect on follicular atresia.

Resveratrol protects the ovary against chromium-toxicity by enhancing endogenous antioxidant enzymes and inhibiting metabolic clearance of estradiol

“…In support of these data, a similar study showed that pretreatment of irradiated rats with RVT at different doses significantly protected the ovarian follicle counts and markedly increased the AOX enzymes (Simsek et al, 2012). RVT effectively protected the ovarian follicular reserve by inhibiting follicular atresia in aging rats (Chen et al, 2010). In contrast RVT displayed an apoptotic effect on theca interstitial cells.…”

Effects of Melatonin on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Sheep Granulosa Cells under Thermal Stress

“…Antioxidants play a protective role against oxidative damage caused by thermal stress in the cells and tissues of organisms. The positive effects of antioxidants have been reported regarding several reproductive aspects [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ] and the recovery of injuries induced by thermal stresses [ 49 , 50 ]. Melatonin treatment for high-yielding dairy cows during a dry period under thermal stress improved their reproductive performance and reduced the rates of breeding syndrome and pregnancy loss [ 51 , 52 ].…”

SIRT1 activator (SRT1720) improves the follicle reserve and prolongs the ovarian lifespan of diet-induced obesity in female mice via activating SIRT1 and suppressing mTOR signaling

“…Resveratrol has anti-aging effect and also beneficial effects of cardiovascular and metabolic system [ 19 , 20 ]. Consistently, it prolongs the ovarian lifespan and protects against age-associated infertility in rodents [ 21 , 22 ]. However, resveratrol is not a specific activator of SIRT1, and it can also activate other signaling pathways [ 23 ].…”