Originally published September 23 2005
Nitric oxide may extend fertility, study suggests
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In a study of mice, researchers found the chemical compound nitric oxide can help slow or reverse the aging process of eggs in female mice ovaries, which suggests it may one day be used to help human females remain fertile longer.
The finding, by investigators at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, was published in the Aug. 30 issue of the American Chemical Society's journal Biochemistry.
In their laboratory study, Anuradha Goud and colleagues gathered more than 1,500 eggs from mouse ovarian ducts one to two hours or four to six hours after ovulation.
After about six hours, these eggs are less likely to be fertilized properly, leading to chromosomal abnormalities in the embryos.
To prevent this, the researchers exposed the eggs to varying concentrations of nitric oxide, a multipurpose signaling molecule that, among other things, helps keep arteries supple and helps men achieve erections.
In the "older" eggs, the compound appeared to slow the hardening of the eggs' outer shells, diminish the activity of ooplasmic microtubules (the structures that attach to chromosomes and guide them to different parts of a cell during division), increase the release of cortical granules (the molecules responsible for preventing egg fertilization by more than one sperm) and delay other signs of aging.
In addition to possibly extending fertility in women, the results suggest that nitric oxide could help prevent chromosome errors during early embryonic development.
The results also raise the possibility that nitric oxide could be used to enhance the fertility of eggs harvested for use during in vitro fertilization.
Although it is unclear how nitric oxide produced these results, the researchers theorize that the compound may prevent irregularities in calcium release within the eggs.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers.
It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry.
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