evaluation of the effects of mentha spicata extract on in-vitro maturation of mouse oocytes

in traditional medicine, mentha spicata is widely used for many diseases, especially in  digestive system. it has anti-androgenic effects thus can be used by women experiencing polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos). also, it has shown to possess antioxidant properties. although beneficial, studies have shown its detrimental effect on some tissues. the present study was carried out to determine the effect of mentha spicata extract on oocyte maturation. to this aim,  germinal vesicles (gv) were obtained from ovaries of 6-8 week old female c57 mice and cultured for 24 hours in maturation media containing different concentrations of mentha spicata extract (0, 10, 20, 40 µg/ml). another maturation medium containing dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso) was determined as a mentha spicata extract solvent. after 24 hours, number of degenerated, germinal vesicle (gv), metaphase i (mi) and metaphase ii (mii) oocytes were determined in each group using an inverted microscope. according to our results, the percentage of degenerated oocytes was higher in experimental groups compared to the control group. this has however not been statistically significant ( p =0.473). additionally, the percentage of gv oocytes was not different in control and experimental groups ( p =0.774). the percentage of mi and mii oocytes was lower in experimental as compared to control groups, however statistically insignificant ( p =0.410 and 0.855, respectively). in conclusion, mentha spicata extract has mild detrimental effects on oocyte in vitro maturation. however, with increased concentration, its detrimental effects decrease which may be due to higher level of its antioxidants contents. therefore addition of appropriate amounts of mentha spicata as a natural extract in maturation medium may improves oocytes’ maturation rate.