Table 1.
Testing of antioxidant drugs in animals and humans.
| Drugs | Diseases | Test subjects | Therapeutic effects | Mechanism | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resveratrol | Ovarian aging | Mice | Relieves oogonial stem cells loss | Reduces oxidative levels in ovaries; reduces H2O2-induced cytotoxicity and OS injury by activating Nrf2 and SOD2 | [156] |
| Resveratrol | Age-related infertility | Mice | Retains the capacity to reproduce; increases the quantity and quality of oocytes | Increases telomerase activity and telomere length | [89] |
| Resveratrol | POF | Mice | Increases survival of FGSCs and follicle number; improves the ovarian function | Relieves OS and inflammation; increases SOD, GPx, and CAT | [90] |
| Resveratrol | PCOS | Rats | Improves insulin resistance | Reduces MDA and lipid peroxidation; increases TAC | [91] |
| Resveratrol and metformin | PCOS | Rats | Improves weight gain, hormone profile, and ovarian follicular cell architecture | Induces antioxidant and antiinflammatory systems via SIRT1 and AMPK activation | [157] |
| Resveratrol | PCOS | Human | Decreases pro-inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers | The suppression of NF-κB and NF-κB-regulated gene products; alters the expression of genes involved in UPR process | [92] |
| Resveratrol | PCOS | Human | Improves menstrual cyclicity and hair loss | Not available | [93] |
| Green tea extract | PCOS | Rat | Reduces insulin resistance index; improves the symptoms of PCOS | Not available | [99] |
| EGCG | Endometriosis | Mice | Inhibits the development of endometriosis and angiogenesis | Reduces mRNA for VEGF-A | [100] |
| EGCG | Endometriosis | Mice | Inhibits angiogenesis | Suppresses VEGF-C/VEGFR2 expression | [101] |
| Green tea | PCOS | Human | Reduces weight, fasting insulin, and the level of free testosterone | Not available | [158] |
| Curcumin | Ovarian aging | Mice | Delays ovarian aging | Reduces oxidative stress; increases AMH and estrogen; decreases FSH | [109] |
| Curcumin | PCOS | Human | Reduces OS-related complications in patients with PCOS | Increases gene expression of PGC1α and activity of the GPx enzyme | [110] |
| NAC | Ovarian aging | Mice | Improves the quality of oocytes and early embryo development | Increases expression of SIRT, telomerase activity, and telomere length | [117] |
| NAC | Ischemia-reperfusion injury in xenotransplanted human ovarian tissue | Mice | Reduces the loss of ovarian follicles; increases follicle density | Increases expression of SOD1, heme oxygenase-1, and CAT; anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects | [118] |
| NAC | Ovarian endometriosis | Human | Reduces cyst mean diameter | Not available | [119] |
| NAC | Infertility | Human | Increases the number of high-quality blastocysts | Increases GSH content in the follicular fluid | [120] |
| VC | PCOS | Mice | Reduces ovarian weight; improves cysts in the ovaries and congestion in the uterus | Increases TAC and expression of antioxidant enzyme genes; reduces MDA | [123] |
| VC | Ovarian aging | Mice | Restores ovarian follicular reservation | Not available | [159] |
| Selenium and VE | OPOI | Human | Increases AMH, antral follicle count, and mean ovarian volume | Not available | [125] |
| CoQ10 | PCOS | Human | Improves glucose and lipid metabolism | Not available | [127] |
| Astaxanthin | Ovarian damage | Rats | Reduces histopathological ovarian damage | Increases TAC and GSH; reduces MDA | [160] |
| Astaxanthin | PCOS | Human | Increases the MII oocyte and high-quality embryo rate | Increases levels of serum CAT, TAC, and expression of Nrf2 | [129] |
Abbreviations: OS, oxidative stress; Nrf2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2; SOD, superoxide dismutase; POF, premature ovarian failure; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; CAT, catalase; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome; MDA, malondialdehyde; TAC, total antioxidant capacity; FGSCs, female germline stem cells; SIRT, sirtuins; AMPK, AMP-dependent protein kinase; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; UPR, unfolding protein response; EGCG, epigallocatechin-3-gallate; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR2, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2; AMH, anti-Müllerian hormone; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; PGC1α, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α; NAC, N-acetylcysteine; GSH, glutathione; VC, vitamin C; VE, vitamin E; OPOI, occult premature ovarian insufficiency; CoQ10, coenzyme Q10.