Adipose tissue-derived stem cells protect the primordial follicle pool from both direct follicle death and abnormal activation after ovarian tissue transplantation.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To investigate whether adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) protect the primordial follicle pool, not only by decreasing direct follicle loss but also by modulating follicle activation pathways.

Methods

Twenty nude mice were grafted with frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue from 5 patients. Ten mice underwent standard ovarian tissue transplantation (OT group), while the remaining ten were transplanted with ASCs and ovarian tissue (2-step/ASCs+OT group). Ovarian grafts were retrieved on days 3 (n = 5) and 10 (n = 5). Analyses included histology (follicle count and classification), immunohistochemistry (c-caspase-3 for apoptosis and LC3B for autophagy), and immunofluorescence (FOXO1 for PI3K/Akt activation and YAP for Hippo pathway disruption). Subcellular localizati

SUBMITTER: Cacciottola L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7823002 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature