Follicular development in transplanted fetal and neonatal mouse ovaries isinfluenced by the gonadal status of the adult recipient

Objective(s): To investigate the pattern of follicular development in trans planted fetal and neonatal mouse ovaries in the presence or absence of the recipient's own ovaries. Design: Controlled experiment. Setting: Academic research laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Uni versity, Clayton, Australia. Intervention(s): Mouse ovaries from 16-day-old fetuses, 3-day-old neonates, and 10-day-old neonates were transplanted under the kidney capsule of adul t female mice, which either retained their own ovaries in situ or were bila terally ovariectomized. Main Outcome Measure(s): Histologic analysis. Result(s): By 4 weeks after transplantation, fetal and neonatal ovaries tra nsplanted to ovariectomized recipients displayed a pattern of follicular de velopment similar to that observed in in situ adult mouse ovaries. In contr ast, follicular development did not progress beyond the early antral stage in fetal and 3-day-old ovaries transplanted to recipients that retained the ir in situ ovaries. However, 10-day-old ovaries transplanted to recipients that retained their in situ ovaries displayed full follicular development a nd corpora lutea formation by 8 weeks after transplantation. Conclusion(s): Follicular development in transplanted immature ovarian tiss ue is influenced by the age of the donor ovary and gonadal status of the re cipient. (C)2000 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.