Stem Cell-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Infertility: A Focus on Aging
Ilyas Ali,
Arshad Ahmed Padhiar,
Ting Wang,
Liangge He,
Mingzhuang Chen,
Shengda Wu,
Yan Zhou,
Guangqian Zhou
Affiliations
Ilyas Ali
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Arshad Ahmed Padhiar
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Ting Wang
Lungene Biotech Ltd., Shenzhen, China
Liangge He
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Mingzhuang Chen
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Shengda Wu
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Yan Zhou
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Guangqian Zhou
Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genomic Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, and Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Regenerative Technologies for Orthopaedic Diseases, Health Sciences Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Reproductive aging is on the rise globally and inseparable from the entire aging process. An extreme form of reproductive aging is premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), which to date has mostly been of idiopathic etiology, thus hampering further clinical applications and associated with enormous socioeconomic and personal costs. In the field of reproduction, the important functional role of inflammation-induced ovarian deterioration and therapeutic strategies to prevent ovarian aging and increase its function are current research hotspots. This review discusses the general pathophysiology and relative causes of POI and comprehensively describes the association between the aging features of POI and infertility. Next, various preclinical studies of stem cell therapies with potential for POI treatment and their molecular mechanisms are described, with particular emphasis on the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology in the current scenario. Finally, the progress made in the development of hiPSC technology as a POI research tool for engineering more mature and functional organoids suitable as an alternative therapy to restore infertility provides new insights into therapeutic vulnerability, and perspectives on this exciting research on stem cells and the derived exosomes towards more effective POI diagnosis and treatment are also discussed.
