REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Reproduction
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1603467
Mechanisms of Follicular Atresia: Focus on Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Ferroptosis
Provisionally accepted
- Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, Shandong, China
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Follicular atresia is a critical physiological process that ensures the selection of high-quality oocytes by eliminating non-viable follicles. In women, 99.9% of follicles undergo atresia naturally, the premature or dysregulated atresia follicle can lead to pathological conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and premature ovarian failure (POF). Recent studies highlight the roles of apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis in regulating follicular atresia. This review integrates molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death with follicular dynamics, emphasizing how aberrant atresia disrupts reproductive health. We discuss therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways to mitigate pathological atresia, offering insights into preserving ovarian reserve and improving fertility outcomes.
Keywords: follicle atresia, Apoptosis, Autophagy, ferroptosis, premature ovarian failure
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Zhang, Lin and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jiaqi Zhou, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, Shandong, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.