Maternal exposure to paclitaxel had a temporary adverse impact on oocyte quality but did not affect developmental...

What are the effects of paclitaxel (PTX) exposure on parental oocyte quality and offspring development?

The developmental capacity of oocytes was evaluated by in-vivo and in-vitro administration of PTX to female ICR mice. Subsequently, a mating experiment was implemented, and offspring growth and development were observed and analysed. In addition, learning and memory abilities were evaluated using the Morris water maze, and genomic stability was evaluated using whole-exome sequencing.

The in-vitro and in-vivo studies confirmed, for the first time, that PTX primarily affected metaphase I oocytes, and not germinal vesicle oocytes. The in-vivo study suggested that these adverse effects soon returned to normal levels, and did not last beyond two oestrous cycles. Consistent with this, the pregnancy rate decreased sharply for a short period of time and then recovered gradually, without an obvious impact of PTX on the live birth rate, average litter size, or body weight of offspring. Most importantly, PTX did not affect normal growth, learning and memory ability, or genomic stability in offspring. A higher frameshift number was found on Day 1 post exposure.

PTX exposure of metaphase I oocytes had a temporary adverse impact on oocyte quality, but no obvious abnormalities were observed in offspring. This suggests that PTX has low ovarian toxicity, and could provide a laboratory basis for the recommended gestation time following PTX withdrawal.