Background: This study was designed to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on expression of Bax and Bcl-2 and maturation of mouse prenatal follicles isolated from vitrified and non-vitrified ovaries. Methods: In this study one ovary from each forty female mouse was vitrified. Preantral follicles were mechanically isolated from vitrified and non- vitrified ovaries and cultured in α-MEM in vitro for 10 days in four groups non-vitrified and non-ascorbic acid (NVNA), non-vitrified and ascorbic

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... cid (NVA), vitrified and non-ascorbic acid (VNA), vitrified and ascorbic acid (VA). Expression of Bax and Bcl-2, survival rate, diameter of follicle and number of antral follicles were compared in four groups. Results: In all groups, the diameter of preantral follicles was increased during in vitro culture. The mean diameter of follicles on day 2 of culture in NVNA, NVA, VNA, and VA groups were 158.5±7.2, 161.9±9.6, 151.7±6.4, and 156.9±7.6 respectively and at day 4 of culture were 213.1±11.8, 218±8.5, 202.9±6.2, and 215.9±9.2 respectively. There were significant differences between the mean diameter of follicles in non-vitrified groups and VNA group at day 2 and 4 of culture (p=0.011 and p=0.001 respectively). The addition of ascorbic acid increased follicular diameter on day 4 of culture in vitrified group (p=0.001). The level of Bax mRNA in NVA group was significantly lower than that other groups (p=o.oo1). Conclusion: Although the addition of ascorbic acid to the media had no effect on growth, survival rate and antrum formation of follicles in vitro, but this reduced the level of the Bax proapoptotic gene in non-vitrified group and improved the growth of preantral follicles after ovarian vitrification.