The objective of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) under oxidative stress condition induced by menadione (MD) on bovine embryos in vitro cultured (IVC). Cumulus-oocyte complexes were matured in TCM-199 with bicarbonate, hormones and 10% FCS for 22 h at 38.5°C in 5% CO₂ in air. After fertilization, the presumptive zygotes were IVC in SOF medium supplemented with 100 μM IGF-1, at 38.5°C in 5% CO₂ in air, for 7 d. On Day 6 the culture medium was supplemented with 5 μM MD. The cleavage rates and embryonic development were evaluated at Day 3 and Day 7, respectively (IVF = d 0). At d 7 blastocysts were stained to quantify the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels with 5 μM H₂DCFDA (Molecular Probes, Invitrogen), the caspase activity (Image iT LIVE Red Caspase-3 and-7 Detection Kit, Molecular Probes) or the apoptotic index using TUNEL (In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit, Fluorescein, Roche Applied Science). Stained embryos were evaluated under an epifluorescence inverted microscope (excitation 495/550–510–550nm and emission 404/595/590 nm, respectively for ROS, caspase and TUNEL). The images were analyzed by Q-Capture Pro image software for determining the fluorescent intensity. The results were compared by ANOVA followed by Student t-test (P < 0.05) and are presented as mean ± SEM. The cleavage rates did not differ (P > 0.05) among groups (77.1% ± 1.9 to 82.7.5% ± 2.2). The blastocyst rates were 38.1% ± 2.50^ab (Control), 38.9% ± 1.97^a (IGF), 21.39% ± 2.93^c (MD) and 25.7% ± 3.32^bc (IGF+MD). The intracellular levels of ROS were 111.1 ± 1.7^b (Control), 118.3 ± 2.1^a (IGF), 118.8 ± 2.1^a (MD) and 112.1 ± 3.6^ab (IGF+MD). The caspase activity did not differ (P > 0.05) among groups (28.2 ± 2.7 to 41.1 ± 3.2). Although, the rates of apoptosis were 12.8% ± 1.0^b (Control), 9.1% ± 0.75^c (IGF), 22.3% ± 2.3^a (MD) and 15.6% ± 1.6^b (IGF+MD). In conclusion, the supplementation with IGF-1 during IVC reversed the detrimental effects of MD on embryonic levels of ROS and apoptosis, as well as improved the embryo development.