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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Isolation and Functional Analysis of Mitochondria from Cultured Cells and Mouse Tissue
Published on: March 23, 2015
[Mitochondria and reproduction]
Pascale May-Panloup1, Marie-Françoise Chrétien, Yves Malthièry
1Service d'Histologie- cytologie-embryologie, CHU d'Angers, 4, rue Larrey, 49033 Angers, France. pamaypanloup@chu-angers.fr
Abstract:
Mitochondria play a primary role in cellular energetic metabolism. They possess their own DNA, which is exclusively maternally transmitted. The relatively recent idea that mitochondria may be directly involved in human reproduction is arousing increasing interest in the scientific and medical community. It has been shown that the functional status of mitochondria contributes to the quality of oocytes and spermatozoa, and plays a part in the process of fertilisation and embryo development. Moreover, new techniques, such as ooplasm transfer, compromise the uniquely maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, raising important ethical questions. This review discusses recent information about mitochondria in the field of human fertility and reproduction.
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