Alpha-lipoic acid reduces oxidative damage and ameliorates follicular abnormalities in vitrified cat ovarian tissue

Introduction Vitrification may induce oxidative damage, mitigating cryodamage is crucial for preserving follicular development and ovarian function. Alpha lipoic acid (α-ALA) is an antioxidant which exerts its antioxidant activity directly or indirectly. Methods In this study, we established a α-ALA concentration gradients (0, 100, and 150 μM) in the vitrification solution, assessed follicular abnormalities through hematoxylin and eosin (HE), analyzed cell apoptosis via TUNEL staining analysis, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Masson staining, explored differential genes by transcriptome sequencing. Results Our findings revealed that α-ALA alleviated oxidative stress damage and decreased follicular abnormalities induced by vitrification, enhanced antioxidant capacity and delayed the onset of fibrosis during in vitro culture. Moreover, our analysis revealed the effects of α-ALA on vitrification at the transcriptomic level. Discussion In this study, we focused on the anti-apoptotic effects of α-ALA in cat ovarian cortex vitrification, and concluded that α-ALA effectively mitigates vitrification correlated ovarian functional impairment.