Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Measuring Single-Cell Aging with an Imaging-based Biomarker of Chromatin and Epigenetic Aging
Published on: January 30, 2026
A new approach to evaluate aging effects on human oocytes: Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy study
Giorgia Gioacchini1, Elisabetta Giorgini2, Lisa Vaccari3
1Tecnobios Procreazione, Centre for Reproductive Health, Bologna, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy.
Objective:
To characterize from a vibrational point of view the alterations caused by aging on human oocytes.
Design:
Reproductive biology.
Setting:
Private assisted reproductive technology clinic, synchrotron beam line, and university infrared laboratory.
Patient(S):
Twenty women of different ages (30 ± 2 and 39 ± 2 years) selected on the basis of detailed inclusion criteria and submitted to controlled ovarian stimulation according to a specific protocol.
Intervention(S):
Collection of 68 supernumerary oocytes that were not used during the IVF cycle from the above cited consenting patients.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Focal Plane Array Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of human oocytes.
Result(S):
Specific spectral differences were highlighted in the two experimental groups of oocytes. In particular, in oocytes of 39-year-old women, the occurrence of peroxidative processes and a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates were observed, together with alterations in the phospholipid membrane, proteic pattern, and nucleic acids content.
Conclusion(S):
For the first time, FTIR spectroscopy was applied to human oocytes, leading to strong evidence of damage from aging in the gametes of mature women, which could be related to a decline in reproductive function. All the information obtained may be considered useful to improve the scientific knowledge on human reproduction and to exploit new strategies for detecting oocyte aging.
