Current Animal Model Systems for Ovarian Aging Research

Abstract

Ovarian aging leads to menopause, loss of fertility and other disorders in multiple organs, which brings great distress to women. For ethical reasons, it is impossible to use humans as direct study subjects for aging research. Therefore, biomedical researchers have employed different non-human organisms to study ovarian aging, including worms, fruit flies, fishes, amphibians, birds, mice, rats, cavies, rabbits, pigs, sheep, cows, horses, monkeys, and apes. Because each of these model organisms has its own features, multiple factors, such as size, anatomical structure, cost, ease of operation, fertility, generation time, lifespan, and gene heredity, should be carefully considered when selecting a model system to study ovarian aging. An appropriate model organism would help researchers explore the risk factors and elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying declined ovarian functions, which might be conducive to preventing or delaying the ovarian aging process. This article will offer an overview on several currently available and commonly used model organisms for ovarian aging research by comparing their pros and cons. In doing so, we hope to provide useful information for ovarian aging researchers.

Efficacy of natural products on premature ovarian failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies

“…The choice of induction agent has a direct impact on the reduction of atretic follicles and the increase in primordial follicles. Most studies included in this review used chemotherapy alkylating triggers [ 69 ] or excessive glucose stimulation [ 70 , 71 ] to establish POF models, which provide reliable and reproducible experimental conditions that mimic the pathogenesis of POF, including immune and senescence mechanisms [ 72 ]. However, it is important to note that the ovarian damage caused by cyclophosphamide is self-reversible within a certain time period [ 73 , 74 ].…”

A single-cell atlas of the aging murine ovary

“…However, the specific cellular changes occurring during ovarian aging are still being elucidated, especially with regard to the critical period of diminished fertility that occurs long before follicular exhaustion. Since mice are the primary model organisms used for ovarian aging experiments 20 , the single-cell ovarian aging atlas presented herein serves as a crucial resource for the field. In non-human primates, scRNA-seq provided mechanistic insights into changes associated with ovarian aging 18 .…”

“…Additionally, single cell analyses of human ovarian tissue is currently in progress 19 . However, mice represent the most utilized model organism for ovarian aging studies 20 due to their short lifespan and ease of genetic manipulation for mechanistic studies. A spatially resolved analysis of murine ovaries made strides in identifying age-related changes in ovarian cell populations 21 .…”

Single-cell profiling of mouse and primate ovaries identifies high levels of EGFR for stromal cells in ovarian aging

“…An appropriate model could help scientists to identify the risk factors and molecular mechanisms underlying ovarian aging. 18 Fortunately, with the development of single-cell RNA sequencing technology, it is possible to analyze expression patterns of heterogeneous tissues at the single-cell level. 2 Furthermore, because non-human primates (NHPs) share similar genomic and physiological characteristics with humans, young and old ovaries of NHPs were generated as a model for studying ovarian aging in vivo .…”