Doxorubicin obliterates mouse ovarian reserve through both primordial follicle atresia and overactivation.

Ovarian toxicity and infertility are major side effects of cancer therapy in young female cancer patients. We and others have previously demonstrated that doxorubicin (DOX), one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic chemicals, has a dose-dependent toxicity on growing follicles. However, it is not fully understood if the primordial follicles are the direct or indirect target of DOX.