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Fibroinflammatory Signatures Increase with Age in the Human Ovary and Follicular Fluid.
- Source :
-
International journal of molecular sciences [Int J Mol Sci] 2021 May 05; Vol. 22 (9). Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 May 05. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The female reproductive system ages before any other organ system in the body. This phenomenon can have tangible clinical implications leading to infertility, miscarriages, birth defects and systemic deterioration due to estrogen loss. "Fibroinflammation" is a hallmark of aging tissues; there is an increase in inflammatory cytokines and fibrotic tissue in the aging ovarian stroma. We systematically evaluated immunomodulatory factors in human follicular fluid, which, like the stroma, is a critical ovarian microenvironment directly influencing the oocyte. Using a cytokine antibody array, we identified a unique fibroinflammatory cytokine signature in follicular fluid across an aging series of women (27.7-44.8 years). This signature (IL-3, IL-7, IL-15, TGFβ1, TGFβ3 and MIP-1) increased with chronologic age, was inversely correlated to anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, and was independent of body mass index (BMI). We focused on one specific protein, TGFβ3, for further validation. By investigating this cytokine in human cumulus cells and ovarian tissue, we found that the age-dependent increase in TGFβ3 expression was unique to the ovarian stroma but not other ovarian sub-compartments. This study broadens our understanding of inflammaging in the female reproductive system and provides a defined fibroinflammatory aging signature in follicular fluid and molecular targets in the ovary with potential clinical utility.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Anti-Mullerian Hormone metabolism
Body Mass Index
Cumulus Cells metabolism
Cytokines metabolism
Female
Fibrosis
Humans
Ovarian Follicle blood supply
Ovarian Follicle metabolism
Stromal Cells metabolism
Transforming Growth Factor beta3 metabolism
Aging pathology
Follicular Fluid metabolism
Inflammation metabolism
Ovary metabolism
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1422-0067
- Volume :
- 22
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- International journal of molecular sciences
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34063149
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094902