Research Paper Volume 14, Issue 14 pp 5628—5640

Figure 1. Study design and effects of resveratrol (Res) treatment on estrous cycle and body weight during mouse aging. (A) Forty ICR mice at 25 weeks (wks) of age were housed until 47 weeks of age and fed with or without Res. These mice were divided into four groups (10 mice in each group) depending on four different feeding durations: 0 (control), 1, 12 and 22 weeks. In addition, young mice served as controls in some experiments to confirm aging changes in reproduction. Mice were weighed and recorded at the start of resveratrol treatment (25 weeks of age) and at 47 weeks of age. After 47 weeks of age, ovulated oocytes were collected and then in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer was performed to determine the number of ovulated oocyte and the rates of fertilization, blastocyst formation, implantation, live pups and abortion. Some ovulated oocytes were used for the analyses of mitochondrial functions. (B) Estrous cycles during 22 weeks of treatment. Estrous cycles were evaluated using the smear of vaginal epithelial cells every 48 hours (n = 8–10 animals, n = 78 observations in each animal). (C) Body weights of each group at 25 and at 47 weeks of age at the start and end of resveratrol treatment, respectively (n = 8–10 animals). Bars represent means ± SE.