title: The relations between dietary antioxidant vitamins intake and oxidative stress in follicular fluid and ART outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress (OS) in the follicular environment may affect on oocyte competence and antioxidant vitamins may modify its effects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to examine the effect of dietary intake of vitamin A, C and E on OS in follicular environment and assisted reproduction technology (ART) outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this obsevationalprospective study, the intake levels of vitamin A, C, and E were matured by validated food frequency questionnaire and Malondialdehyde and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels of follicular fluid (FF) in 219 women undergoing ART were assessed. The number of retrieved oocytes, percentages of metaphase II MII) stage oocytes, fertilization rate, and embryo quality were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant association was found between vitamins intake levels and OS biomarkers, but the mean of TAC level in FF among women who received vitamin C greater than 75 mg/d was higher than women with lower intakes (p<0.05). The ART parameters were not related to the vitamin E intake level, but the normal cleaved embryo rate was positively related to vitamin A (p<0.05) and vitamin C (p=0.02) intake levels. Also, the percentage of MII oocytes (p=0.02) and the fertilization rate (p<0.05) were related to the vitamin C intake level. The relation between the TAC level in FF and ART outcomes were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current results indicated that high dietary intake of vitamin C would be followed by increasing the TAC level in FF and improving the oocyte competence, but this effect of vitamin C is not dependent of increasing of antioxidant defense in follicular environment.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Health Department, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Centere, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.affiliation: Vali-e-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramezanzadeh
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biomedicine Center, Royan Institute for Animal Biotechnology, ACECR, Department of Reproduction and Development, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hosein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nasr-Esfahani
keywords: Assisted reproduction; Embryo quality; Fertilization; Oxidative stress; Vitamin A; Vitamin C; Vitamin E