Human ovarian aging and mitochondrial DNA deletion.

The functions of human ovary change dynamically around the menopausal period. A decrease of the number of primordial follicles and an increase of fibrous tissues are observed histologically in the aged ovary. As endocrinological aspects at menopause, the synthesis and secretion of ovarian steroid hormones such as estrogens and progesterone decrease, followed with the resultant increases of pituitary gonadotropins. However, the mechanism of menopause and ovarian aging is not well understood. Thus, to study the regulatory mechanism of ovarian dysfunction by aging, we analyzed the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation in the human ovary in women of various ages. The amplification of a 5.5-kb region in mtDNA with polymerase chain reaction revealed a 0.5-kb band in ovarian samples obtained from menopausal and postmenopausal women, which means that the 5.0-kb deletion of mtDNA in ovarian tissue starts at the menopausal period. The close relationship between the occurrence of ovarian mtDNA deletion and the menstrual irregularity was also observed. These observations suggest that the accumulation of the deleted mtDNA may be a regulating factor of dysfunction of the ovary by aging.