New insight into the role of macrophages in ovarian function and ovarian aging

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Nov 6:14:1282658. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1282658. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Macrophages (MΦs) are the most abundant leukocytes in mammalian ovaries that have heterogeneity and plasticity. A body of evidence has indicated that these cells are important in maintaining ovarian homeostasis and they play critical roles in ovarian physiological events, such as folliculogenesis, ovulation, corpus luteum formation and regression. As females age, ovarian tissue microenvironment is typified by chronic inflammation with exacerbated ovarian fibrosis. In response to specific danger signals within aged ovaries, macrophages polarize into different M1 or M2 phenotypes, and specialize in unique functions to participate in the ovarian aging process. In this review, we will focus on the physiologic roles of MΦs in normal ovarian functions. Furthermore, we will discuss the roles of MΦs in the process of ovarian senescence, as well as the novel techniques applied in this field.

Keywords: female infertility; follicle development; inflammation; macrophages; ovarian aging; ovarian function.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Leukocytes
  • Macrophages
  • Mammals
  • Ovary* / physiology
  • Ovulation* / physiology

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (82201735), Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province of China (2023A1515010352, 2023A1515010192), Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province of China (A2022376) and Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou city of China (2023A04J0494).