Regulatory Role and Potential Importance of GDF-8 in Ovarian Reproductive Activity

Xiaoling Zheng, Yongquan Zheng, Dongxu Qin, Yao Yao, Xiao Zhang, Yunchun Zhao, Caihong Zheng
In: Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2022 · vol. 13 , pp. 878069 · doi:10.3389/fendo.2022.878069 · PMID:35692411 · W4281562258
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

GDF-8 regulates ovarian functions including steroidogenesis and gonadotrophin responsiveness via SMAD signaling, is expressed in human ovaries and obese PCOS patients, and its levels correlate with IVF outcomes.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This paper reviewed and synthesized evidence on growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8) as a regulator of ovarian reproductive activity, drawing on in vitro granulosa-cell models, in vivo expression studies, and human clinical measurements across IVF and PCOS cohorts. The authors report that GDF-8 regulates granulosa-cell steroidogenesis, gonadotrophin responsiveness, glucose metabolism, proliferation, and the expression of lysyl oxidase and pentraxin 3 via SMAD2/3-dependent signaling, and that GDF-8 is expressed broadly in human ovarian compartments with dynamic serum patterns during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Clinical data cited in the paper link circulating and follicular-fluid GDF-8 to ovarian response and pregnancy outcome in IVF, and associate GDF-8 expression (in some studies) with lower progesterone levels, while noting limitations such as the absence of PCOS or poor- and hyper-ovarian response participants in several sample sets. Relevance to endometriosis: the paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis, but it was included in the corpus via keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8) is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. Studies in vitro and in vivo have shown GDF-8 to be involved in the physiology and pathology of ovarian reproductive functions. In vitro experiments using a granulosa-cell model have demonstrated steroidogenesis, gonadotrophin responsiveness, glucose metabolism, cell proliferation as well as expression of lysyl oxidase and pentraxin 3 to be regulated by GDF-8 via the mothers against decapentaplegic homolog signaling pathway. Clinical data have shown that GDF-8 is expressed widely in the human ovary and has high expression in serum of obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome. GDF-8 expression in serum changes dynamically in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. GDF-8 expression in serum and follicular fluid is correlated with the ovarian response and pregnancy outcome during in vitro fertilization. Blocking the GDF-8 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and ovulation disorders in polycystic ovary syndrome. GDF-8 has a regulatory role and potential importance in ovarian reproductive activity and may be involved in folliculogenesis, ovulation, and early embryo implantation.

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chemicals 7
glucose lipid steroid progesterone steroid glucose dehydroepiandrosterone
organisms 21
human noordeloos 2009062 human rodents mus sp. mus sp. humans human rodents human human transgenic mice human human human multicellular animals human rodents human rodents human

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