Dosage‐related beneficial and deleterious effects of ginsenoside Rb1 on mouse oocyte maturation and fertilization and fetal development

Abstract Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1), the major saponin component of ginseng root, has a wide range of therapeutic applications for various diseases. Previously, our group showed that GRb1 triggers ROS‐mediated apoptotic cascades in mouse blastocysts, leading to decreased cell viability and impairment of pre‐ and postimplantation embryonic development, both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we further found that GRb1 exerted dose‐dependent effects on oocyte maturation and sequent development in vitro. Oocytes preincubated with 25 μg/mL GRB1 displayed significantly enhanced maturation and in vitro fertilization (IVF) rates, along with progression of subsequent embryonic development. In contrast, treatment with 50 and 100 μg/mL GRB1 led to impairment of mouse oocyte maturation, decreased IVF rates, and injurious effects on subsequent embryonic development. In vivo, intravenous injection of 1 mg/kg body weight GRb1 significantly promoted mouse oocyte maturation, IVF, and early‐stage embryo development after fertilization while administration of 5 mg/kg body weight GRb1 led to a marked decrease in oocyte maturation and IVF rates concomitant with impairment of early embryonic development in our animal model. In terms of the mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of GRb1 demonstrated increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis in the 100 μg/mL GRb1 treatment group. However, we observed a significant decrease in total intracellular ROS content and inhibition of apoptosis events in the 25 μg/mL GRb1 treatment group, signifying that the intracellular ROS content serves as a key upstream regulator of GRb1 that influences its dose‐dependent beneficial or deleterious effects on oocyte maturation and sequent embryonic development. For further clarification of the mechanisms underlying GRb1‐triggered injurious effects, oocytes were pretreated with Ac‐DEVD‐CHO, a caspase‐3‐specific inhibitor, which effectively blocked injury to oocyte maturation, fertilization, and sequent development. In sum, study findings highlight the potential involvement of p53‐, p21‐, and caspase‐3‐dependent regulatory signaling cascades in GRb1‐mediated apoptotic processes.