Promoting extracellular matrix remodeling via ascorbic acid enhances the survival of primary ovarian follicles encapsulated in alginate hydrogels.

ABSTRACT: The in vitro growth of ovarian follicles is an emerging technology for fertility preservation. Various strategies support the culture of secondary and multilayer follicles from various species including mice, non-human primate, and human; however, the culture of early stage (primary and primordial) follicles, which are more abundant in the ovary and survive cryopreservation, has been limited. Hydrogel-encapsulating follicle culture systems that employed feeder cells, such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), stimulated the growth of primary follicles (70-80 µm); yet, survival was low and smaller follicles (<70 µm) rapidly lost structure and degenerated. These morphologic changes were associated with a breakdown of the follicular basement membrane; hence, this study investigated ascorbic

SUBMITTER: Tagler D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4232184 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature