Keywords
Reproductive immune microenvironment
Inflammaging
Ovarian aging
Oocyte quality
How to Cite
Abstract
For a long time, ovarian research has been focused on the follicle, the functional unit of the ovary. However, recent scientific evidence remarks the relevance of the immune response in ovarian function. In this sense, it has been proposed the concept of “Reproductive Immune Microenvironment” that studies the microenvironment associated with reproductive tissues, such as testicular interstitial spaces, ovarian stroma and the endometrium, and its relationship with the resident immune cells. Particularly in the ovary, multiple evidences prove the key role of the immune cells in the ovarian physiology. Among the present cells we can find macrophages, T cells, dendritic cells, NK cells and mastocytes, that contribute to the regulation of the immune response, estrogen synthesis and oogenesis among other processes. Of these populations, macrophages are of special interest since, due to their ability to integrate information from the nervous, immune and endocrine systems together with their functional plasticity and ability to secrete multiple factors, results in them being involved in practically all ovarian physiology. Another concept that has recently been proposed is the Inflammaging, which refers to the inflammation associated to aging. This inflammation is systemic, chronic and low-grade associated with an increase in proinflammatory mediators, different from the local acute inflammation due to lesions and infections. Besides being part of the normal aging process, the inflammaging has been associated with different pathologies. In the ovaries, several reports relate the inflammatory response and fibrosis characteristic of ovarian aging with inflammaging. In this work, we discuss these new concepts of reproductive immune microenvironment and inflammaging, and how they impact on ovarian aging as well as in oocyte quality.
References
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