• Assessment of Autophagy Gene Expression in Human Follicular Fluid Cells Cultured In Vitro
  • Zeinab Shafiei Seifabadi,1,* Kousar Shahrooie,2 Mahin Taheri Moghadam,3
    1. Behbahan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Behbahan, Iran.
    2. Cellular and molecular research center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
    3. Cellular and molecular research center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran


  • Introduction: Autophagy, a cellular process involving the degradation and recycling of cellular components, plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes. This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of autophagy-related genes in human follicular fluid cells cultured in vitro. Follicular fluid cells, which are derived from the ovarian follicle, are known to support oocyte development and maturation.
  • Methods: We employed quantitative real-time PCR to examine the expression of crucial autophagy genes, such as ATG5, ATG7, and Beclin-1, in follicular fluid cells derived from human ovarian follicles. These cells were analyzed after 7 and 21 days of in vitro culture.
  • Results: Our results indicate that the expression levels of these autophagy genes have decreased significantly in response to in vitro culture conditions. Specifically, we observed that Beclin-1 expression down-regulated markedly on day 21 compared to day 7( P<0.0001) in cells extracted from ovarian follicular fluid. ATG5 expression was significantly lower on day 21 versus day 7(P<0.0001). ATG7 expression showed a significant reduction on day 21 compared to day 7 (P<0.001).
  • Conclusion: These findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms governing autophagy in human follicular fluid cells, emphasizing the potential significance of autophagy in oocyte development and fertility. The data also suggest a spontaneous differentiation process in these cells over the 21-day culture period. This study enhances our understanding of autophagy's role in reproductive biology and may have implications for the development of new therapeutic approaches in assisted reproductive technologies.
  • Keywords: Oocyte-like cell, Infertility, In vitro fertilization, Autophagy, Human Follicular Fluid Cells