The Impact of Chemotherapy on the Ovaries: Molecular Aspects and the Prevention of Ovarian Damage

Cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, induces early ovarian follicular depletion and subsequent infertility. In order to protect gametes from the gonadotoxic effects of chemotherapy, several fertility preservation techniques-such as oocyte or embryo cryopreservation with or without ovarian stimula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2019-10, Vol.20 (21), p.5342
Main Authors: Sonigo, Charlotte, Beau, Isabelle, Binart, Nadine, Grynberg, Michaël
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amenorrhea
Animal models
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects
Apoptosis
Autophagy
Cell culture
Chemotherapy
Cryopreservation
Cytotoxic agents
Cytotoxicity
Damage prevention
Depletion
DNA damage
DNA repair
Drugs
Embryos
Endocrinology and metabolism
Female
Fertility
Fertility Preservation - methods
Follicles
Gametes
Gametocytes
Germ cells
Human health and pathology
Humans
Infertility
Kinases
Life Sciences
Mammals
Models, Animal
Ovarian cancer
Ovaries
Ovary - cytology
Ovary - drug effects
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency - chemically induced
Proteins
Reproductive status
Review
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Summary:Cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, induces early ovarian follicular depletion and subsequent infertility. In order to protect gametes from the gonadotoxic effects of chemotherapy, several fertility preservation techniques-such as oocyte or embryo cryopreservation with or without ovarian stimulation, or cryopreservation of the ovarian cortex-should be considered. However, these methods may be difficult to perform, and the future use of cryopreserved germ cells remains uncertain. Therefore, improving the methods currently available and developing new strategies to preserve fertility represent major challenges in the area of oncofertility. Animal and ovarian culture models have been used to decipher the effects of different cytotoxic agents on ovarian function and several theories regarding chemotherapy gonadotoxicity have been raised. For example, cytotoxic agents might (i) have a direct detrimental effect on the DNA of primordial follicles constituting the ovarian reserve and induce apoptosis; (ii) induce a massive growth of dormant follicles, which are then destroyed; or (ii) induce vascular ovarian damage. Thanks to improvements in the understanding of the mechanisms involved, a large number of studies have been carried out to develop molecules limiting the negative impact of chemotherapy on the ovaries.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms20215342