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Abstract Background After ovarian tissue transplantation, ischemia-reperfusion injury and free radicals cause follicle depletion and apoptosis. Therefore, the use of antioxidants to reduce the production of free radicals is an important method to address the consequences of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Resveratrol is a natural active polyphenol compound with anti-inflammatory, antitumor, strong antioxidant and anti-free radical properties. The aim of this study was to investigate whether resveratrol could improve the effect of autologous ovarian transplantation after cryopreserve-thawn mouse ovarian tissue. Methods Whole-ovary vitrification and autotransplantation models were used to investigate the effects of resveratrol. Six-week-old female mice from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) were subjected to vitrification. All ovaries were preserved in liquid nitrogen for 1 week before being thawed. After thawing, ovarian tissues were autotransplanted in the bilateral kidney capsules. Mice (n = 72) were randomly divided into four groups to determine the optimal concentration of resveratrol (experiment I). Treatments were given as follows: saline, 5 mg/kg resveratrol, 15 mg/kg resveratrol and 45 mg/kg resveratrol, which were administered orally for one week. Grafted ovaries were collected for analysis on days 3, 7, and 21 after transplantation. Ovarian follicle morphology was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Serum FSH and E2 levels were measured to estimate the transplanted ovarian reserve and endocrine function. Other mice were randomly divided into two groups—saline and 45 mg/kg resveratrol to further evaluate the effect of resveratrol and explore the mechanisms underlying this effect (experiment II). Ovarian follicle apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and western blotting (MDA, SOD, NF-κB, IL-6 and SIRT1) were used to explore the mechanisms of resveratrol. Moreover, oocytes derived from autotransplanted ovaries at 21 days were cultured and fertilized in vitro. Results The proportions of morphologically normal (G1) follicles at 3, 7 and 21 days were significantly higher in the 45 mg/kg resveratrol group than in the saline group. The TUNEL-stained follicles (%) at 7 days were significantly decreased in the 45 mg/kg resveratrol group compared with the saline group. Western blot analysis revealed that SOD2 and SIRT1 levels were significantly higher in the 45 mg/kg resveratrol group than in the saline group at day 7 and that MDA and NF-κB levels were lower in the saline group on day 3. Likewise, IL-6 was lower in the saline group on day 7. These results are basically consistent with the qRT-PCR results. In addition, the mean number of retrieved oocytes and fertilization and cleavage were significantly increased in the 45 mg/kg resveratrol group compared with the saline group. Conclusions Administration of resveratrol could improve the quality of cryopreserved mouse ovarian tissue after transplantation and the embryo outcome, through anti-inflammatory and antioxidative mechanisms.