Effects of Supplementation with Natural Antioxidants on Oocytes and Preimplantation Embryos

Abstract

For most infertile couples, in vitro fertilization (IVF) represents the only chance to conceive. Given the limited success of IVF procedures, novel approaches are continuously tested with the aim of improving IVF outcomes. Growing attention is devoted today to the potential benefit of natural antioxidants in the optimization of infertility treatments. This review summarizes current data in this context, focusing on both experimental studies on oocytes/embryos and clinical trials on antioxidants supplementation. Based on information gained from experimental studies, antioxidant supplementation may have beneficial effects on IVF outcomes in terms of quality and cryotolerance of in vitro produced embryos, together with positive effects on in vitro maturation oocytes and on early embryonic development. Unfortunately, from the clinical side, there is a paucity of evidence favoring the protective qualities of antioxidants. Among the antioxidants considered, coenzyme Q10 may be regarded as one of the most promising for its positive role in rescuing the oxidative stress-induced damages, but further data are needed. It is concluded that further trials are necessary to characterize the potential clinical value of antioxidants in IVF treatments.

Ovarian Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Medical Management

“…Since ovarian aging is mainly due to oxidative stress, superimposed on the existing genetic makeup, any antioxidant agent can be supposed to improve IVF results in older women and in young women suffering from POI [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Unfortunately, there are only a few clinical studies that can conclusively support this reasoning.…”

“…Unfortunately, there are only a few clinical studies that can conclusively support this reasoning. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is the antioxidant that accumulates the most evidence in favor of its use in the treatment of women with diminished ovarian reserves [ 37 , 38 ], a conclusion corroborated by a recent randomized control trial [ 39 ]. However, though potentially less efficient, any antioxidant agent, such as vitamins C and E and folic acid, can be of help [ 40 ].…”

The Impact of Unbalanced Maternal Nutritional Intakes on Oocyte Mitochondrial Activity: Implications for Reproductive Function

“…Finally, the use of antioxidants has also been reported to counteract the detrimental effect of oxidative stress on cell function (reviewed by [ 83 ]). However, although on the one hand, antioxidants can be useful for protecting the oocytes from the damaging effects of ROS, on the other hand, physiological levels of ROS play a key role in different cellular processes such as oocyte maturation, ovarian steroidogenesis, corpus luteal function, and luteolysis [ 19 ].…”

“…Therefore, the utilization of antioxidants should be modulated carefully. Up to now, antioxidant supplementation does not appear to offer any benefit to women with female subfertility [ 84 ] or undergoing infertility treatment [ 83 , 85 , 86 ].…”

Induction of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Juglone Affects the Development of Bovine Oocytes

“…Over the past two decades, several biomolecules and antioxidants have been identified as enhancers of embryonic development via reducing ROS levels, whereas other molecules have proved to stimulate oxidative stress and hence impair embryonic development [ 12 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Moreover, the toxicity of juglone, reported in multiple studies, has been mainly attributed to its ability to induce endogenous ROS accumulation, DNA damage, autophagy, apoptosis, and inhibition of protein expression [ 2 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”