Restoring Hormone Production and Fertility: Study Shows Stem Cells Can Reverse Ovarian Failure

Restoring Fertility and Hormone Production: New Study Shows Promise

The study shows that injections of ovarian tissue-derived induced pluripotent stem cells can restore hormone production and fertility in mice with ovarian failure associated with genetic diseases and cancer treatments.

Groundbreaking Research on Fertility Restoration

A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital demonstrates in a preclinical model that fertility can be restored when the ovaries stop working.

Effectiveness of Adult Stem Cells

Researchers have found that adult stem cells can restore healthy hormone levels after chemotherapy and lead to normal pregnancies, leading to live births in mice.

Potential Revolution in Fertility Options

Research-based technologies could revolutionize the fertility options for women with premature ovarian failure.

Turning Non-reproductive Cells into Functional Eggs

“This pilot study shows that you can take non-reproductive cells and turn them into functional eggs that can develop into several generations of live animals,” said study co-author Raymond Manohar Anchan, MD, director of the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Laboratory at the Brigham Center for Reproductive Surgery and Infertility. “The study is interesting because it gives hope to patients with ovarian failure that they can have biological children and produce reproductive hormones.”

Premature Ovarian Failure: A Common Issue

Notably, about 5% of women suffer from premature ovarian failure due to cancer treatment or genetic problems. As the incidence of cancer among young people continues to rise, rates of chemotherapy-related infertility are also expected to increase.

No Current Treatment for Ovarian Failure

Currently, there is no treatment to restore fertility after ovarian failure. Women with ovarian failure need to use donated or frozen eggs or embryos to have children.

Additional Health Problems Associated with Ovarian Failure

Ovarian failure can also cause other health problems associated with low hormone levels. People with ovarian failure may lose bone mass and suffer from sexual and heart problems.

The Potential of Stem Cells

Previous research has shown that mouse ovary cells, called granulosa cells, can be used to create iPS cells. These stem cells can become any type of cell in the body. The researchers turned them into ovarian cells and showed in the lab that the cells produce reproductive hormones such as estrogen and progesterone and can become the cells from which eggs develop.

Restoring Hormone Levels and Fertility

The researchers saw that the injected stem cells restored the mice’s hormone levels and fertility, including the ability to conceive naturally. Interestingly, they also saw that injecting stem cells into one ovary seemed to heal the other ovary by reproducing eggs.

Uncovering the Healing Process

“I think this was the most exciting discovery,” said Anshan. “We were able to get some autologous animal eggs to restart development in both ovaries, not just the one we injected. The stem cells should secrete a factor that promotes this healing process. We are now studying what that factor or factors are. Identifying such an agent or factors will be doubly interesting, because it may be possible to treat some patients without injecting any cells.”

Limitations of the Study and Future Research

It should be noted that the study was only done in mice and there is no evidence that this will work in humans. And there may be ethical issues with using iPS cells in humans. Researchers do not know if the mouse pups born from these stem cell-derived eggs are healthy and normal after birth or if they are capable of reproducing. Long-term studies are currently underway on the offspring resulting from these experiments.

Conclusion

Despite the need for further research and ethical considerations, the recent study offers hope for individuals with ovarian failure to regain normal hormone production and fertility. The potential implications of these findings for the future of reproductive medicine are promising. The full results of the study are published in The Lancet eBioMedicine.

Source: Medical Express

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