Female reproductive life span is extended by targeted removal of fibrotic collagen from the mouse ovary

Anti-fibrosis drugs extend reproductive lifetime of mice

30 November 2022

The reproductive life span of female mice can be prolonged by drugs that remove tough strands of collagen from their ovaries.

Women often experience declining fertility in their thirties well before their supply of oocytes is exhausted around their late forties. It has been unclear why the function of the ovary tapers off so early when there are still around 1,000 oocytes available.

Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia has discovered that the accumulation of stiff collagen fibres — a condition known as fibrosis — in the ovary hinders the release of oocytes in mice. They also showed that anti-fibrosis drugs can counteract this effect of ageing, restoring ovulation to relatively old or obese mice.

Since ovarian fibrosis may be caused by malfunctioning mitochondria, this raises the exciting possibility that drugs that target mitochondrial metabolism could help extend fertility in older women and those with metabolic disorders.

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References

1. Science Advances 8, eabn4564 (2022). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn4564