Evaluation of the RHOGTPases role in ovarian pathophysiology

Abstract

Reproduction, both sexual and asexual, is a fundamental and evolving process to sustain life in this universe. Thus, the understanding of this process has been the inspiration to investigators. However, as the mammalian organism has evolved, this biological process became highly complex (Wang and Dey 2006a). As the evolution continues, the complexity also increases and leads to reproduction-related complications, primary or secondary, and given that the human race is also not spared being a highly evolved mammal. 1.1 Infertility If a couple doesn’t conceive Infertility is a common clinical issue worldwide and is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive naturally after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse. The prevalence of infertility in the reproductive age couple is 8-12% worldwide (Vander and Wyns 2018; von et al. 2014). Additionally, apart from this, every year, 60–80 million couples are suffering from infertility throughout the globe, and Indian couples are contributing 15 to 20 million (25%) in this (Poongothai et al. 2009). Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that in developing countries, every fourth couple is suffering from infertility (Mascarenhas et al. 2012). Infertility affects the male and female mentally, physically, and socially leading to significant disturbance in quality of life (QoL) (Jansen and Saint Onge 2015; Lakatos et al. 2017; Namavar et al. 2018). Further, the infertility can be caused due to ovarian origin anomalies, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency, endometriosis, and uterine derived disorders (Vander and Wyns 2018). Out of these all, PCOS is one of the leading causes of female infertility and affects 8-13% of reproductive-aged women worldwide (Bozdag et al. 2016). Unfortunately, PCOS infertility prevalence is 75%, mainly due to anovulation feature (Homburg 2004). 1.2 Ovary as a reproductive and endocrine organ Ovarian tissue is a well-organized primary organ consisting of germ cells (oocytes or eggs) and somatic cells, which include granulosa, theca, and stromal cells whose interactions are required for the formation and development of oocyte