Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive functions of the ovary leading to premature ovarian failure and infertility. Transplantation of ovarian tissue is an effective way to maintain fertility and the function of ovaries in young cancerous women who undergo cancer treatments. Yet, one of the major obstacles in ovary transplantation is ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. A study has indicated that taurine induces angiogenesis by activating the pathways of endothelial cell proliferation and migration. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of taurine on the angiogenesis and follicular development in mice ovaries post autotransplantation. female mice (4-5 weeks old) were divided into three groups: control, autografted and autografted + taurine (200 mg/kg/day) and treatment was carried out one day before till 7 days after transplantation. 28 days after transplantation, the expression level of GDF9 protein as a folliculogenesis indicator was evaluated. The expression level of CD31 protein as a neoangiogenesis indicator was also evaluated on day 7 post transplantation. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test and the means were considered significantly different at p<0.05. The expression level of GDF9 (p<0.001) and CD31 proteins (p<0.01) decreased significantly in the autografted group compared to the control, whereas the mentioned parameters increased significantly in the autografted + taurine group compared to the autografted group (p<0.05). Our results revealed that taurine treatment induces angiogenesis, which leads to a reduction in IR injury and improvement of folliculogenesis in the transplanted ovaries.
