Resveratrol attenuates doxorubicin-induced meiotic failure through inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis in mouse oocytes

Doxorubicin (DXR), a widely used chemotherapeutic drug, has adverse effects on female fertility in young cancer patients. However, the underlying mechanisms of doxorubicin exposure on female fertility and how to prevent it have not been well studied yet. Here, mouse oocytes were employed to investigate the issues mentioned above. The results showed that doxorubicin treatment impaired oocyte meiotic maturation by destroying spindle assembly and chromosome arrangement. In addition, doxorubicin caused oxidative stress by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, doxorubicin led to severe DNA damage in oocytes, which eventually induced apoptosis through DNA damage-P63-Caspase3 pathway. Conversely, resveratrol (RES) effectively improved oocyte quality by restoring spindle and chromosome configuration, reducing ROS levels and inhibiting apoptosis. In summary, our results indicate that RES can protect oocytes against doxorubicin-induced damage.