Follicular fluid-derived exosomes rejuvenate ovarian aging through miR-320a-3p-mediated FOXQ1 inhibition

Abstract

Ovarian aging is mainly characterized by a progressive decline in oocyte quantity and quality, which ultimately leads to female infertility. Various therapies have been established to cope with ovarian aging, among which exosome-based therapy is considered a promising strategy that can benefit ovarian functions via multiple pathways. Here, we isolated and characterized exosomes derived from ovarian follicular fluid and profiled the differential expression patterns of noncoding exosomal RNAs in young and aged women. Treatment with young mouse-derived exosomes efficiently rescued ovarian function in aged mice. The follicular fluid exosomes from young mice and miR-320-3p can also promote the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells and improve mitochondrial function from old mice in vitro. Exosomes can increase the number of primordial and growing follicles, and improve the developmental ability of oocytes in the old mice in vivo. The mechanism may be involve that exosomes transfer miR-320-3p to granulosa cells, and inhibit the expression of FOXQ1. And hnRNPA2B1 controls miR-320-3p entry into exosomes. This work provides insights into the antiaging potential of follicular fluid-derived exosomes and the underlying molecular mechanisms, which may facilitate prevention of ovarian aging and an improvement in female fertility.