Making a good egg: human oocyte health, aging, and in vitro development

Evelyn E. Telfer; Johanne Grosbois; Yvonne L. Odey; Roseanne Rosario; Richard A. Anderson

doi:10.1152/physrev.00032.2022

journal article Oct 01, 2023

Making a good egg: human oocyte health, aging, and in vitro development

Evelyn E. Telfer

Johanne Grosbois Yvonne L. Odey Roseanne Rosario Richard A. Anderson

Physiological Reviews Vol. 103 No. 4 pp. 2623-2677 · American Physiological Society

View at Publisher Save 10.1152/physrev.00032.2022

Abstract

Mammalian eggs (oocytes) are formed during fetal life and establish associations with somatic cells to form primordial follicles that create a store of germ cells (the primordial pool). The size of this pool is influenced by key events during the formation of germ cells and by factors that influence the subsequent activation of follicle growth. These regulatory pathways must ensure that the reserve of oocytes within primordial follicles in humans lasts for up to 50 years, yet only approximately 0.1% will ever be ovulated with the rest undergoing degeneration. This review outlines the mechanisms and regulatory pathways that govern the processes of oocyte and follicle formation and later growth, within the ovarian stroma, through to ovulation with particular reference to human oocytes/follicles. In addition, the effects of aging on female reproductive capacity through changes in oocyte number and quality are emphasized, with both the cellular mechanisms and clinical implications discussed. Finally, the details of current developments in culture systems that support all stages of follicle growth to generate mature oocytes in vitro and emerging prospects for making new oocytes from stem cells are outlined.

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Metrics

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References

Details

Published: Oct 01, 2023
Vol/Issue: 103(4)
Pages: 2623-2677

Authors

E

Evelyn E. Telfer

Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

J

Johanne Grosbois

Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Y

Yvonne L. Odey

Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

R

Roseanne Rosario

Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queens Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

R

Richard A. Anderson

MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queens Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Funding

Wellcome Trust Award: 215625/Z/19/Z

UKRI | Medical Research Council Award: MR/T025654/1

UKRI | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Award: BB/R015635/1

Wellbeing of Women Award: PRF005

Cite This Article

Evelyn E. Telfer, Johanne Grosbois, Yvonne L. Odey, et al. (2023). Making a good egg: human oocyte health, aging, and in vitro development. Physiological Reviews, 103(4), 2623-2677. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2022

Making a good egg: human oocyte health, aging, and in vitro development

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