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Updated: Oct 6, 2025
Culture and Co-Culture of Mouse Ovaries and Ovarian Follicles
Published on: March 17, 2015
Concentrated ambient fine particles exposure affects ovarian follicle development in mice
Mingjun Yang1, Fang Tian1, Shimin Tao1
1Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation of National Health Commission (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Background:
Ambient fine particles (PM2.5) are known to cause various reproductive and developmental diseases. However, the potential mechanisms of PM2.5 exposure induced female reproductive damage remain unclear.
Methods:
Four weeks old female C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to filtered air (FA, n = 10) or concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP, n = 10) using a versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system. After 9 weeks of the exposure, mice were sacrificed under sevoflurane anesthesia and tissue samples were collected. Immunohistochemical analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and RNA-sequencing were performed to analyze the effects of PM2.5 exposure on follicle development and elucidate its potential mechanisms.
Results:
Chronic PM2.5 exposure resulted in follicular dysplasia. Compared to the FA-exposed group, follicular atresia in the CAP-exposed mice were significantly increased. Further studies confirmed that CAP induced apoptosis in granulosa cells, accompanied by a distortion of hormone homeostasis. In addition, RNA-sequencing data demonstrated that CAP exposure induced the alteration of ovarian gene expressions and was associated with inflammatory response.
Conclusions:
Chronic exposure to CAP can induce follicular atresia, which was associated with hormone modulation and inflammation.
