Japanese society of Ova Research

Abstract

Vol.39 No.2

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Anti-aging approaches focusing on senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) induced embryo aging
JMOR, 39(2) 93-98, 2022
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan

The trend of increasing age in infertile patients is becoming more common worldwide. In this situation, the deterioration of oocyte/embryo quality due to aging has become an issue in infertility treatment. Quality decline of oocytes/embryos is mainly caused by factors such as mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of oxidative stress and DNA damage. These factors cause a decline in cellular function, resulting in a reduction in cell proliferative capacity and an increase in chromosome instability, leading to a decline in embryo developmental potential and increasing chromosome aneuploidy. However, there is no effective treatment and it’s difficult for infertility patients of advanced age to achieve pregnancy with their own oocytes. Recently, it has been reported that cellular aging is induced by various stresses, and senescent cells that irreversibly arrested their cell cycles secrete inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth-factors, giving rise to the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). This phenotype induces inflammatory responses and cell cycle arrest in itself and surrounding cells in autocrine and paracrine manners. We recently reported that SASP factors are also present in oocytes/embryos and are one of the causes of oocyte/embryo quality decline. This review outlines cellular senescence and the deterioration of oocyte/embryo quality associated with aging, and introduces the effect of SASP factors on oocyte/embryo quality as well as anti-aging countermeasures by suppressing the SASP factors.

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