title: Supplementation of transport and freezing media with anti-apoptotic drugs improves ovarian cortex survival.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ovarian tissue preservation is proposed to patients at risk of premature ovarian failure, but this procedure still needs to be optimized. To limit injury during ovarian tissue cryopreservation, anti-apoptotic drugs were added to the transport and freezing media of ovarian cortex tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sheep ovaries were transported, prepared and frozen in solutions containing vehicle or anti-apoptotic drugs (Z-VAD-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor, or sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid). After the tissue was thawed, the ovarian cortex was cultured for 2 or 6 days. Follicular quantification and morphological and proliferation analyses were performed on histological sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 2 days of culture, S1P improved the quality of primordial follicles; higher densities of morphologically normal and proliferative primordial follicles were found. Z-VAD-FMK displayed similar effects by preserving global primordial follicular density, but this effect was evident after 6 days of culture. This drug also improved cell proliferation after 2 and 6 days of culture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that the addition of S1P or Z-VAD-FMK to the transport and freezing media prior to ovarian tissue cryopreservation improves primordial follicular quality and therefore improves global tissue survival. This should ultimately lead to improved fertility restoration after auto-transplantation.
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. laurie.henry@chu.ulg.ac.be.|Department of Gynecology, University of Liège, Boulevard du XIIème de Ligne, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. laurie.henry@chu.ulg.ac.be.
authors: Laurie
authors: L
authors: Henry
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. mfransolet@ulg.ac.be.
authors: Maïté
authors: M
authors: Fransolet
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. soraya.labied@chrcitadelle.be.|Department of Gynecology, University of Liège, Boulevard du XIIème de Ligne, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. soraya.labied@chrcitadelle.be.
authors: Soraya
authors: S
authors: Labied
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. silvia.blacher@chu.ulg.ac.be.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Blacher
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. marie-caroline.masereel@student.ulg.ac.be.|Department of Gynecology, University of Liège, Boulevard du XIIème de Ligne, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. marie-caroline.masereel@student.ulg.ac.be.
authors: Marie-Caroline
authors: MC
authors: Masereel
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. jmfoidart@ulg.ac.be.
authors: Jean-Michel
authors: JM
authors: Foidart
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. agnes.noel@ulg.ac.be.
authors: Agnès
authors: A
authors: Noel
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. michelle.nisolle@chu.ulg.ac.be.|Department of Gynecology, University of Liège, Boulevard du XIIème de Ligne, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. michelle.nisolle@chu.ulg.ac.be.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Nisolle
authors: Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, Groupe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA-R), Université de Liège, Tour de Pathologie (B23) Sart-Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium. c.munaut@ulg.ac.be.
authors: Carine
authors: C
authors: Munaut
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006080:Ovarian Follicle; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents