Role of Mitochondria Transfer in Infertility: A Commentary

Abstract

Mitochondria transfer techniques were first designed to prevent the transmission of diseases due to mutations in mtDNA, as these organelles are exclusively transmitted to the offspring by the oocyte. Despite this, given the crucial role of mitochondria in oocyte maturation, fertilization and subsequent embryo development, these approaches have been proposed as new potential strategies to overcome poor oocyte quality in infertile patients. This condition is a very common cause of infertility in patients of advanced maternal age, and patients with previous in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempt failures of oocyte origin. In this context, the enrichment or the replacement of the whole set of the oocyte mitochondria may improve its quality and increase these patients’ chances of success after an IVF treatment. In this short review, we will provide a brief overview of the main human studies using heterologous and autologous mitochondria transfer techniques in the reproductive field, focusing on the etiology of the treated patients and the final outcome. Although there is no current clearly superior mitochondria transfer technique, efforts must be made in order to optimize them and bring them into regular clinical practice, giving these patients a chance to achieve a pregnancy with their own oocytes.

Mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in ovarian aging and potential interventions

“…The autologous mitochondrial transplantation technology ( 178 ), focuses on increasing the number of healthy mitochondria in cells while avoiding the introduction of third-party DNA in gametes. It is reported that injection of mitochondrial from oogonial precursor cells(OPCs) while intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can improve the quality of oocyte and pregnancy rate in the ICSI cycle of women with multiple IVF failure ( 70 , 71 ).…”

Mitochondrial replacement techniques for treating infertility

“…13 59 It has also been argued that mixing the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes from two oocytes might lead to deleterious interactions between one oocyte's nuclear DNA and the other oocyte's mtDNA, which is referred to as mitonuclear mismatch. 29 Female children would also pass mtDNA on to their offspring, so mismatch-based harm could affect future generations as well. 87 However, the validity of this concern has been questioned, considering that 'natural' reproduction also places mtDNA in a seminovel nuclear environment since the mitochondria inherited from the mother will previously not have been in contact with the father's nuclear DNA.…”

Mitochondrial Transfer as a Novel Therapeutic Approach in Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

“…However, early clinical trials have shown promising results. It was found how mitochondrial transfer in patients with idiopathic infertility showed that the technique was safe and well-tolerated and resulted in the birth of healthy infants [195]. Further research is needed to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of mitochondrial transfer in humans.…”