Ovarian fibrosis is a known pathology of reproductive aging, becoming a growing concern for infertility and complex ovarian diseases. In research, mouse and human ovary samples are utilized, though distinct differences between species warrant validation of architectural phenotypes to accurately define its pathology. Using picrosirius red staining under polarized light microscopy, this study characterize fibrillar collagen distribution and organization across defined ovarian regions, specifically the cortex and medulla, in aging human ovary and the equivalent region in the aging mouse ovary. Our results reveal cortex-specific collagen accumulation with anisotropic organization in aging human ovaries, in contrast to the diffuse, isotropic collagen deposition observed in the whole ovary of aging mice. Our findings support age-associated ovarian fibrosis as the accumulation and/or cortical anisotropic organization of fibrillar collagen within the ovary.
Aitken et al. (Wed,) studied this question.