Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)Sep 1, 2026

Resveratrol improves high-fat diet caused ovarian damage by changing gut bacteria and restoring ovarian energy use and gene activity

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Sep 2, 2026

Abstract

Resveratrol (RSV) significantly mitigated systemic metabolic imbalances and restored ovarian homeostasis in rats fed a high-fat diet.

HFD-induced ovarian dysfunction was linked to metabolic stress.
RSV treatment led to normalized estrous cycles, improved ovarian structure, and balanced hormone levels.
RSV enhanced ovarian energy production by increasing ATP through the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation while inhibiting glycolysis.
Transcriptomic analysis showed significant upregulation of pathways related to fat metabolism and hormone production.
RSV intervention improved gut microbiota diversity and enriched beneficial bacterial genera, indicating a potential link between gut health and ovarian function.

Simplified

Metabolic stress induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) is one of the key factors leading to ovarian dysfunction. In this study, a multi-omics approach was employed to investigate the protective effects of resveratrol (RSV) against HFD-induced ovarian dysfunction in rats. The results indicate that RSV not only significantly mitigated systemic metabolic imbalances, such as weight gain and dyslipidemia, but also restored ovarian homeostasis, as evidenced by normalized estrous cycles, improved ovarian morphology, and balanced hormone levels. Mechanistically, RSV normalized altered ovarian energy metabolism by enhancing the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation while inhibiting glycolysis, thereby increasing ATP production. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed significant upregulation of key pathways, including the PPAR signaling pathway and steroidogenesis, and identified Apob and Lpl as potential core regulatory genes. Notably, RSV intervention modulated the gut microbiota, increasing microbial diversity and enriching beneficial bacterial genera, suggesting a restorative effect on the gut-ovary axis. In summary, our findings demonstrate that RSV alleviates HFD-induced ovarian dysfunction partially alleviates through a multilevel network involving systemic metabolism, ovarian energy metabolism, and gut microbiota regulation. This demonstrates its potential as a functional food ingredient for protecting female reproductive health.

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Resveratrol improves high-fat diet caused ovarian damage by changing gut bacteria and restoring ovarian energy use and gene activity

Abstract

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