Supplementation of mitochondria from endometrial mesenchymal stem cells improves oocyte quality in aged mice

• Published in: Cell proliferation 2023-03, Vol.56 (3), p.e13372-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Qi, Hao, Jian‐Xiu, Liu, Bo‐Wen, Ouyang, Ying‐Chun, Guo, Jia‐Ni, Dong, Ming‐Zhe, Wang, Zhen‐Bo, Gao, Fei, Yao, Yuan‐Qing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Animals; Dietary Supplements; Embryos; Endometrium; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Experiments; Female; Fertility; Fertilization; Flow cytometry; Gametocytes; Geriatrics; Health aspects; Infertility; Laboratory animals; Male; Mesenchymal stem cells; Mice; Microinjection; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial DNA; Oocytes; Oocytes - metabolism; Original; Semen; Sperm; Stem cells; Supplements; Transplantation; Uterus
• ISSN: 0960-7722; 1365-2184
• DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13372

Maternal ageing is one of the major causes of reduced ovarian reserve and low oocyte quality in elderly women. Decreased oocyte quality is the main cause of age‐related infertility. Mitochondria are multifunctional energy stations that determine the oocyte quality. The mitochondria in aged oocytes display functional impairments with mtDNA damage, which leads to reduced competence and developmental potential of oocytes. To improve oocyte quality, mitochondrial supplementation is carried out as a potential therapeutic approach. However, the selection of suitable cells as the source of mitochondria remains controversial. We cultivated endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (EnMSCs) from aged mice and extracted mitochondria from EnMSCs. To improve the quality of oocytes, GV oocytes were supplemented with mitochondria via microinjection. And MII oocytes from aged mice were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), combining EnMSCs' mitochondrial microinjection. In this study, we found that the mitochondria derived from EnMSCs could significantly improve the quality of aged oocytes. Supplementation with EnMSC mitochondria significantly increased the blastocyst ratio of MII oocytes from aged mice after ICSI. We also found that the birth rate of mitochondria‐injected ageing oocytes was significantly increased after embryo transplantation. Our study demonstrates that supplementation with EnMSC‐derived mitochondria can improve the quality of oocytes and promote embryo development in ageing mice, which might provide a prospective strategy for clinical treatment. In this study, we chose endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (EnMSCs) as the sources of mitochondria. We isolated the EnMSCs from 10‐month‐old mice and then extracted the mitochondria of EnMSCs. Then, the GV oocytes and MII oocytes from aged mice were injected with mitochondria. We found that mitochondria derived from EnMSCs could significantly improve the quality of oocytes, promote the embryonic development and improve the birth rates of aged mice.