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Alginate: A Versatile Biomaterial to Encapsulate Isolated Ovarian Follicles

  • Reproductive Tissue Engineering
  • Published:
Annals of Biomedical Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In vitro culture of ovarian follicles isolated or enclosed in ovarian tissue fragments and grafting of isolated ovarian follicles represent a potential alternative to restore fertility in cancer patients who cannot undergo cryopreservation of embryos or oocytes or transplantation of frozen-thawed ovarian tissue. In this regard, respecting the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of isolated follicles is crucial to maintaining their proper follicular physiology. To this end, alginate hydrogel has been widely investigated using follicles from numerous animal species, yielding promising results. The goal of this review is therefore to provide an overview of alginate applications utilizing the biomaterial as a scaffold for 3D encapsulation of isolated ovarian follicles. Different methods of isolated follicle encapsulation in alginate are discussed in this review, as its use of 3D alginate culture systems as a tool for in vitro follicle analysis. Possible improvements of this matrix, namely modification with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptide or combination with fibrin, are also summarized. Encouraging results have been obtained in different animal models, and particularly with isolated follicles encapsulated in alginate matrices and grafted to mice. This summary is designed to guide the reader towards development of next-generation alginate scaffolds, with enhanced properties for follicle encapsulation.

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Figure 1

Reprinted with permission from Manivasagan and Oh, 2016, ©Elsevier (2016).

Figure 2

Reprinted with permission from Shikanov et al.,90 Journal of Visualized Experiments (2016).

Figure 3

©Reprinted with permission from Park et al.,72 Springer Science + Business Media (2016).

Figure 4

Reprinted with permission from Shikanov et al.,90 Journal of Visualized Experiments (2016).

Figure 5

Reprinted with permission from Choi et al.,23 ©Elsevier (2016).

Figure 6
Figure 7

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Abbreviations

2D:

Two-dimensional

3D:

Three-dimensional

AMH:

Anti-Müllerian hormone

ANGPT-1:

Angiopoietin-1

ANGPT-2:

Angiopoietin-2

boECM:

Bovine decellularized ovarian extracellular matrix

ECM:

Extracellular matrix

FSH:

Follicle-stimulating hormone

GC:

Granulosa cell

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

MEF:

Mouse embryonic fibroblast

RGD:

Arginine-glycine-aspartic acid

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgments

J. Vanacker is an FRS-FNRS postdoctoral researcher and C.A. Amorim is an FRS-FNRS research associate. The authors thank Mira Hryniuk, BA, for reviewing the English language of the manuscript.

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The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 73, bte. B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Julie Vanacker

  2. Pôle de Recherche en Gynécologie, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, bte. B1.52.02, 1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Christiani A. Amorim

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Associate Editor Debra T. Auguste oversaw the review of this article.

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Vanacker, J., Amorim, C.A. Alginate: A Versatile Biomaterial to Encapsulate Isolated Ovarian Follicles. Ann Biomed Eng 45, 1633–1649 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-017-1816-6

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