Frontiers in cell and developmental biology

Progesterone (P4) is essential for pregnancy establishment and maintenance. Clinically, P4 is widely used to regulate the menstrual cycle, maintain pregnancy, and treat luteal phase deficiency. However, P4 administration protocols, particul…

The global decline in fertility rates has intensified the reliance on assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertility treatment. Antioxidant supplementation, particularly with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), has gained prominence as a therapeu…

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as pivotal mediators of intercellular communication in reproductive medicine, demonstrating considerable potential for both understanding and treating reproductive disorders. By precisely regulating…

Ferroptosis is characterized as a specialized type of regulated cellular death that relies on iron and lipid peroxidation, which has recently been highlighted as playing a crucial role in the etiology of recurrent miscarriage (RM). Ferropto…

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for tissue homeostasis, ensuring structural stability, facilitating cell-cell communication, and tightly controlling key cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and migration…

Female infertility and reproductive disorders represent a significant global health challenge, with complex etiologies often linked to impaired cellular communication, inflammation, and tissue dysfunction. Exosomes (EXOs), nanosized extrace…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common benign gynecologic disease in women of reproductive age, and its manifestations remarkably decrease quality of life. Lactate, as a metabolite, exerts prominent effects across a wide range of biological …

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and associated comorbidities correspond to female infertility by many interrelated mechanisms. Yet most prior research focuses only on ovary dysfunction. Our work evaluates literature mechanisms of DM-in…

High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is a protein released from stressed or damaged cells that triggers immune activation and chronic inflammation. The NOD-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) is a central component of …

INTRODUCTION: Endometrial receptivity (ER), critical for successful embryo implantation and a major limiting factor in infertility affecting ∼1 in 6 couples globally, remains poorly understood, with few effective interventions targeting the…

INTRODUCTION: Letrozole monotherapy, while effective for ovulation induction, may compromise endometrial receptivity in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles due to estrogen suppression. This study aimed to compare the FET outcomes and analyz…

BACKGROUND: Impaired decidualization is associated with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is known to play an important role in decidua formation. However, the specific impact of LPA in endometrial decidua…

BACKGROUND: The effects of menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cell secretome (S-MenSC) on macrophage polarization remain unclear. This study studied the impact of secretomes from basal MenSCs (S-bMenSCs) and those preconditioned wi…

INTRODUCTION: Proper placentation is essential for fetal growth and development in mammals. Nodal signaling is essential to ensure proper embryo development and requires Cripto-1 as a co-receptor. Both factors have been shown to be expresse…

Rising rates of infertility have stimulated interest in dietary supplements to improve oocyte quality through mitochondrial function, antioxidant activity, and epigenetically regulated metabolic pathways. Mitochondria provides adenosine tri…

Adenomyosis is a common estrogen-dependent disease, characterized by the invasion of endometrial glands and stroma into the myometrium. It often results in dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, and infertility, significantly impacting patients' qualit…

Autophagy is a highly conserved eukaryotic process that degrades cytoplasmic material within lysosomes, and plays a crucial role in cellular development, function and homeostasis. Recent studies have increasingly revealed the connection bet…

BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder that can impact fertility due to various factors such as iron overload and endocrine disruption. While the effects of iron overload on fertility outcomes in transfusion-dependent thalas…

Menstrual blood (MB), a biofluid rich in diverse cell types and biomolecules, has emerged as a vital resource for investigating female reproductive health and diseases because of its unique composition and noninvasive accessibility. This re…

Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in disorders of the female reproductive system, accompanied by a rise in adverse pregnancy outcomes. This trend is increasingly being linked to environmental pollution, particularly through the…

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women at childbearing age. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a widely accepted sensitive marker of ovarian reserve, which has been suggested that could also act as biomarke…

CHAC1, an essential regulator of oxidative stress and ferroptosis, is increasingly recognized for its significant roles in these cellular processes and its impact on various human diseases and cancers. This review aims to provide a comprehe…

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a widely used technique in fertility centers. ICSI success depends on both nuclear and cytoplasmic oocyte maturation. Cumulus cells, which surround the oocytes, play a pivotal role in oocyte compet…