Influence of ovarian stromal cells on human ovarian follicle growth in a 3D environment

作者：M. Grubliauskaitė, H. Vlieghe, S. Moghassemi, A. Dadashzadeh, A. Camboni, Ž. Gudlevičienė, C. Amorim · 发表于：Human Reproduction Open · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1093/hropen/hoad052 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Medicine

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Do ovarian stromal cells (OSCs) influence the viability and growth of human preantral follicles in vitro? SUMMARY ANSWER A feeder layer of OSCs promotes the growth and transition of low developmental stage follicles to the primary/secondary stage while maintaining a high proportion of viable follicles. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY In the ovary, follicles rely on the support of ovarian cells, which secrete essential factors for their survival and development. This phenomenon has also been demonstrated in vitro through the 3D culture of isolated mouse primary and secondary follicles on a feeder layer of OSCs. This co-culture notably enhances follicle survival and growth. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Pre-antral follicles were isolated from human frozen-thawed ovarian tissue biopsies and then encapsulated in 1% alginate scaffolds. These embedded preantral follicles were either placed directly on the OSCs feeder layer or at the bottom of a culture dish for a 7-day in vitro culture (control). The study compared follicle viability, growth, and hormone production between the different groups. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Primordial/intermediate and primary follicles were isolated from frozen-thawed ovarian tissue of cancer patients (n = 6). OSCs were then isolated from ovarian tissue of post-menopausal women and cultured as a feeder layer. Follicle diameter was measured on Days 0 and 7 using an inverted microscope to assess their development based on the ...