Antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10-pretreated mouse pre-antral follicles derived from vitrified ovaries.

AIM: This study evaluated the antioxidant status of pre-antral follicles derived from vitrified ovaries pretreated with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

METHODS: Mouse pre-antral follicles derived from fresh and vitrified warmed ovarian tissue were cultured with or without CoQ10 (50 μmol/L). Follicular growth, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT) activity during cultivation were assessed.

RESULTS: The growth rate of the fresh pre-antral follicles was higher compared with the vitrified groups, especially in the CoQ10-treated than non-treated groups. MDA increased while TAC decreased at 96 h of the cultivation period. TAC was higher while MDA was lower in the fresh pre-antral follicles than in the vitrified groups. These rates were higher in the CoQ10-treated than non-treated groups. The vitrified and fresh CoQ10-pretreated groups had significantly higher SOD, GPX, and CAT activity compared with the CoQ10 non-treated groups.

CONCLUSION: CoQ10-supplemented maturation medium can increase antioxidant enzyme activity and decrease lipid peroxidation in cultured pre-antral follicles derived from fresh and vitrified mouse ovaries.