Activated Ovarian Endothelial Cells Promote Early Follicular Development and Survival

Overview

Journal J Ovarian Res

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Gynecology & Obstetrics
Reproductive Medicine

Date 2017 Sep 21

PMID 28927438

Citations 4

Authors

Alon Kedem

Anate Aelion-Brauer

Peipei Guo

Duancheng Wen

Bi-Sen Ding

Raphael Lis

Du Cheng

Vladislav M Sandler

Shahin Rafii

Zev Rosenwaks

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: New data suggests that endothelial cells (ECs) elaborate essential "angiocrine factors". The aim of this study is to investigate the role of activated ovarian endothelial cells in early in-vitro follicular development.

Methods: Mouse ovarian ECs were isolated using magnetic cell sorting or by FACS and cultured in serum free media. After a constitutive activation of the Akt pathway was initiated, early follicles (50-150 um) were mechanically isolated from 8-day-old mice and co-cultured with these activated ovarian endothelial cells (AOEC) (n = 32), gel (n = 24) or within matrigel (n = 27) in serum free media for 14 days. Follicular growth, survival and function were assessed.

Results: After 6 passages, flow cytometry showed 93% of cells grown in serum-free culture were VE-cadherin positive, CD-31 positive and CD 45 negative, matching the known EC profile. Beginning on day 4 of culture, we observed significantly higher follicular and oocyte growth rates in follicles co-cultured with AOECs compared with follicles on gel or matrigel. After 14 days of culture, 73% of primary follicles and 83% of secondary follicles co-cultured with AOEC survived, whereas the majority of follicles cultured on gel or matrigel underwent atresia.

Conclusions: This is the first report of successful isolation and culture of ovarian ECs. We suggest that co-culture with activated ovarian ECs promotes early follicular development and survival. This model is a novel platform for the in vitro maturation of early follicles and for the future exploration of endothelial-follicular communication.

Capsule: In vitro development of early follicles necessitates a complex interplay of growth factors and signals required for development. Endothelial cells (ECs) may elaborate essential "angiocrine factors" involved in organ regeneration. We demonstrate that co-culture with ovarian ECs enables culture of primary and early secondary mouse ovarian follicles.

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Kong H, Hong Y, Lee J, Youm H, Lee J, Suh C Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021; 12:672619.

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