Development of a new treatment to improve ovarian fibrosis and follicular atresia and elucidation of its mechanism

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K09489
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Hiraike Osamu 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 准教授 (20529060)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 浦田 陽子 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 届出研究員 (20572598)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 卵巣 / 明細胞癌 / グルタチオン産生系 / アルギン酸 / 難治性不妊症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To test whether suppressing oxidative stress suppresses ovarian fibrosis in primary cultures of human ovarian granulosa cells, cultured cell lines, and experimental systems using rodents, and to clarify the crosstalk between the Hippo pathway and the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, which is considered important in the process of ovarian fibrosis formation. However, we were not able to accomplish this due to the difference in the major of the research collaborators, and instead, Research 1: Elucidation of metabolic mechanisms targeting the glutathione-producing system in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and development of novel fluorescent probes and Research 2: Research on biomaterials for the application of alginate to gynecological treatment. Research 2: Research on alginate as a biomaterial for gynecological treatment.

Free Research Field

生殖医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究1は、難治性卵巣癌である明細胞癌の代謝性を明らかにする新たなアプローチと、既存の蛍光プローブが手術検体で用いることができるという、臨床に即した研究成果が得られた。臨床研究を組むための十分な基盤となった。研究2は、難治性不妊症の中でも未だに有効な治療方法が得られていない疾患に対するアプローチをするための基盤を構築しつつあるところであり、今後さらに継続することで、不妊症治療のブレークスルーを目指すことができる。