الفهرس 
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Abstract
Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is a commonly used long-acting injectable form of progestin. It is a synthetic xenobiotic which can decrease the number of follicles with a loss of ovarian cells. Progestin-only contraceptives may be preferable in some situations, which have absolute or relative contraindications to estrogen and side-effects to estrogen containing hormonal contraception.
Water-soluble (vitamin C) and lipid-soluble antioxidants (vitamin E) are natural antioxidants which inhibit the generation of peroxide radicals. Vitamin C supports the cell-mediated immune response and neutralizes oxidative stress. Vitamin E and, in particular, the α-tocopherol form protects against peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can potentially cause cellular damage and subsequently lead to improper immune responses.
Caspase-3 is a key protease activated during the early stages of apoptosis and synthesized as an inactive pro-enzyme that is processed in cells undergoing apoptosis by self-proteolysis and/or cleavage by another protease. Anti-caspase-3 is reported to recognize the active caspase-3 in human and mouse cells.
The present study was carried out on thirty-five adult female black mice (C57BL/6), obtained from Animal House Center of Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University.
They were divided into the following groups:
• group I: Control group, this group was subdivided into three subgroups:
Subgroup Ia (untreated): Five mice were given only food and water without restraint during the experimental period.
Subgroup Ib(vehicle): Five mice were given food and water without restraint in addition to saline, distilled water and sesame oil orally using gavage at 10 a.m every day for four weeks.
Subgroup Ic (treated): Five mice were given vitamin C 200 mg/Kg body weight per day and vitamin E 160 mg/Kg body weight per day. Vitamin C was dissolved in distilled water 0.5 cubic abelled r and vitamin E was dissolved in sesame oil 0.5 cubic abelled r. All these substances were orally treated using gavage into mice at 10 a.m every day for four weeks.(89)
• group II: DMPA group, ten mice were injected by DMPA once per week for four weeks at a dose of 0.5 mg/mice/week are diluted with 0.2 mL of saline and injected intramuscularly. DMPA dose is calculated according to the conversion of the human dose to mice.(90)