Effect of resveratrol on superovulation in mice

Oocyte quality is one of the key factors affecting the outcome of ART. Therefore, how to improve oocyte quality has become an urgent problem in the field of ART. In this study we evaluated the effect of resveratrol (RSV), added during the process of superovulation, on embryonic development in mice. The results showed that the blastocyst rate was significantly higher in the RSV treated group than in the control group when oocytes were parthenogenetically activated in vitro (61.67 vs 41.51%, P = 0.032). In the naturally fertilized oocytes group, the rates of cleavage and blastocyst were significantly higher in the RSV treatment group than in the control group (74.47% vs 60.98%, P = 0.035; 96.19% vs 70.00%, P = 0.000, respectively). For the aged mice, the average number of oocytes, the rates of cleavage and blastocyst were also significantly higher in RSV treated groups than in the control group (19.47 ± 5.98 vs 10.30 ± 4.82, P = 0.028; 69.03 vs 50.75%, P = 0.014; 64.10% vs 44.12%, P = 0.049, respectively). Mitochondrial membrane potential and mtDNA copy number in oocytes were significantly increased after RSV treatment in both the young and aged populations. The expression of mitochondrial biogenesis related genes was significantly upregulated in cumulus cells of young and aged mice following RSV treatment. Our data suggest that supplementation of RSV during superovulation improves oocytes quality in young and aged mice, increases the number of oocytes retrieved from aged mice, and improves oocytes mitochondrial function.