Oocyte aging underlies female reproductive aging: biological mechanisms and therapeutic strategies

In recent years, postponement of marriage and childbearing in women of reproductive age has led to an increase in the incidence of age-related infertility. The reproductive aging process in women is assumed to occur due to a decrease in both the quantity and quality of the oocytes, with the ultimate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reproductive medicine and biology 2015-10, Vol.14 (4), p.159-169
Main Authors: Igarashi, Hideki, Takahashi, Toshifumi, Nagase, Satoru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aging
Animal models
Chromosome aberrations
Embryos
Endoplasmic reticulum
Fecundity
Females
Fertility
Fertilization
Gene expression
Gynecology
In vitro fertilization
Infertility
Lipids
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mitochondria
Mitochondrial DNA
Mutation
Oocyte aging
Oocytes
Organelles
Oxidative stress
Reproductive aging
Reproductive Medicine
Reproductive technologies
Review
Review Article
Surveillance
Trends
Urology
Womens health
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In recent years, postponement of marriage and childbearing in women of reproductive age has led to an increase in the incidence of age-related infertility. The reproductive aging process in women is assumed to occur due to a decrease in both the quantity and quality of the oocytes, with the ultimate result being a decline in fecundity. This age-related decline in fecundity is strongly dependent on oocyte quality, which is critical for fertilization and subsequent embryo development. Aged oocytes display increased chromosomal abnormality and dysfunction of cellular organelles, both of which factor into oocyte quality. In particular, mitochondrial dysfunction has been suggested as a major contributor to the reduction in oocyte quality as well as to chromosomal abnormalities in aged oocytes and embryos. Participation of oxidative stress in the oocyte aging process has been proposed because oxidative stress has the capacity to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and directly damage many intracellular components of the oocytes such as lipids, protein, and DNA. In an attempt to improve mitochondrial function in aged oocytes, several therapeutic strategies have been investigated using both animal models and assisted reproductive technology. Here, we review the biological mechanisms and present status of therapeutic strategies in the female reproductive aging field and indicate possible future therapeutic strategies.
ISSN:1445-5781
1447-0578
DOI:10.1007/s12522-015-0209-5