Transplantation of umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells on a collagen scaffold improves ovarian function in a premature ovarian failure model of mice

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a refractory disease; one of the most important goals of treatment is to improve fertility. In the study, collagen scaffold loaded with human umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells (collagen/UC-MSCs) transplantation in POF mice preserved ovarian function, as supported by increased estrogen (E2) and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels, increased ovarian volume, and an increased number of antral follicles. Immunohistochemistry results of Ki67 indicated transplantation of collagen/UC-MSCs promoted granulosa cell proliferation, which is crucial to oocyte maturation and follicular development. Additionally, transplantation of collagen/UC-MSCs significantly promoted ovarian angiogenesis with the increased expression of CD31. In general, collagen/UC-MSCs transplantation probably is an effective therapeutic strategy of POF.