The basic experiment of human ovarian tissue freezing-thawing and xenotransplantation in nude mice for fertility preservation

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K20197
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: MURAKAMI Naoko 長崎大学, 病院(医学系), 助教 (30768718)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: がん生殖医療 / 妊孕性温存 / 卵巣組織凍結

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The biopsied ovarian tissue was divided into three groups; fresh-ungrafted tissue group, cryopreserved by vitrification or slow freezing and thawed-ungrafted tissue group and harvested-grafted tissue, to assess the status of follicle and fibrosis in ovarian cortex after xenografting in order to understand how ovarian tissue cryopreservation and grafting may affect follicular morphology and cortical structures.
All fresh-ungrafted tissue and thawed-ungrafted tissue showed presence of primordial follicles and no apparent fibrosis in cortex. In follicular structures and stromal fibrosis, neither there was no difference according to the freezing method. Harvested-grafted tissue subjected to both vitrification and slow freezing showed advanced follicular growth and intense fibrosis.

Free Research Field

がん生殖医療

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

若年がん女性などでの妊孕性温存処置の一つに卵巣組織凍結・融解再移植があるが，再移植後の卵巣組織では原始卵胞が著明に減少し，卵巣機能を維持できる期間には個人差が大きいことが判明している．
本研究では，原始卵胞の維持に関わる卵巣皮質の間質構造は卵巣組織の凍結や融解処置では変化せず，再移植後の卵巣組織では線維化に伴い正常な間質組織が減少し，発育した初期卵胞が認められたことから，再移植後の生着過程で生じる間質の線維化が卵胞発育の活性化，原始卵胞の減少に関連することが示唆された．移植に伴う組織構造の恒常性の維持に関与している分子メカニズムの解明は，妊孕性温存処置の治療効果の改善につながると考えられた．