Protective effect of vitamin E on ischaemia-reperfusion injury in ovarian grafts

Ovarian cortical tissue cryopreservation with subsequent autografting is a potential strategy for the preservation of fertility in patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy and pelvic radiotherapy. Non-vascular implants are f irst subjected to a period of ischaemia before revascularization and are, t herefore, vulnerable to ischaemia reperfusion injury from reactive oxygen s pecies. Ischaemia-reperfusion injury was investigated during the first week after surgery in murine ovarian grafts and human ovarian xenografts in mic e with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) by measuring total lipid pe roxides and malondialdehyde concentrations with a colorometric assay. The e ffects of administering an antioxidant, vitamin E, on these concentrations were also tested. Products of lipid peroxidation were higher in non-supplem ented murine autografts compared with control ovaries (P < 0.05), and were significantly reduced on day 3 by vitamin E administration (P < 0.05). Simi larly, in human xenografts, there was a significant reduction in lipid pero xidation with vitamin E administration. These results correspond to a signi ficantly greater total follicle survival in the murine grafts of the supple mented group (45 versus 72%; P < 0.05). They suggest that antioxidant treat ment improves the survival of follicles in ovarian grafts by reducing ischa emia-reperfusion injury.