Abstract
The factors and processes involved in primate follicular development are complex and not fully understood. An encapsulated three-dimensional (3D) follicle culture system could be a valuable in vitro model to study the dynamics and regulation of folliculogenesis in intact individual follicles in primates. Besides the research relevance, in vitro follicle maturation (IFM) is emerging as a promising approach to offer options for fertility preservation in female patients with cancer. This review summarizes the current published data on in vitro follicular development from the preantral to small antral stage in nonhuman primates, including follicle survival and growth, endocrine (ovarian steroid hormone) and paracrine/autocrine (local factor) function, as well as oocyte maturation and fertilization. Future directions include major challenges and strategies to further improve follicular growth and differentiation with oocytes competent for in vitro fertilization and subsequent embryonic development, as well as opportunities to investigate primate folliculogenesis by utilizing this 3D culture system. The information may be valuable in identifying optimal conditions for human follicle culture, with the ultimate goal of translating the experimental results and products to patients, thereby facilitating diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for female fertility.
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Funding
National Institute of Health (NIH) UL1DE019587, RL1HD058293, RL1HD058294, RL1HD058295, PL1EB008542 (the Oncofertility Consortium), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) through cooperative agreement as part of the Specialized Cooperative Center Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (Grant Number U54HD18185), Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)/NICHD 2K12HD043488 (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health), and ONPRC 8P51OD011092.
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Xu, J. et al. (2013). Primate Follicular Development and Oocyte Maturation In Vitro. In: Kim, S. (eds) Oocyte Biology in Fertility Preservation. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 761. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8214-7_5
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