Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42101984›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Age-related upregulation of p16 expression in mouse ovarian somatic cells correlated with reproductive function decline p16 expression and ovarian aging in mice.

Yorino Sato, Yuta Kawagoe, Kazuhiro Kawamura

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yorino SatoDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6289-4244
Yuta KawagoeDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0641-1244
Kazuhiro KawamuraDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5572-9171

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Female reproductive aging is a major clinical challenge associated with declining fertility and increased pregnancy complications. The urgent clinical need for developing reliable biomarkers to evaluate ovarian aging has become increasingly evident. Cellular senescence, marked by p16, contributes to age-related tissue dysfunction. However, the relationship between p16 levels and ovarian aging remains poorly understood. Age-related changes in p16 levels across multiple tissues in ICR mice were examined in ICR mice at 4, 30, 45, and 60 weeks of age using qRT-PCR, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. Cell-type specific p16 levels were analyzed in isolated ovarian cells. Reproductive function was assessed through superovulation, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer experiments. p16 mRNA levels increased progressively with age in ovarian tissue (6.8-fold increase at 60 weeks vs. 4 weeks, P < 0.05), with corresponding increases in p16 protein levels. Among tissues examined, ovaries, kidneys, liver, uterus, spleen, and pancreas showed significant age-related p16 upregulation, while brain, heart, and lung did not. Cell-type analysis revealed that somatic cells exhibited pronounced p16 upregulation with age (cumulus cells: 3.2-fold, granulosa cells: 4.6-fold, theca cells: 2.8-fold increase), whereas oocytes and blastocysts showed no significant changes. Ovulation numbers decreased significantly with age (42.3 ± 3.1 vs. 15.6 ± 1.9 oocytes in young vs. aging mice), but fertilization rates and early embryo development remained unaffected. However, post-implantation outcomes deteriorated substantially, with implantation rates declining from 78.4% to 38.1% and live birth rates from 82.3% to 43.2% in aging mice at 60 weeks of age. Age-related upregulation of p16 in ovarian somatic cells, but not in oocytes, correlated with declining reproductive function, particularly affecting post-implantation development. These findings suggest that somatic cell senescence may contribute to age-related declines in oocyte competence, leading to fertility decline with aging.

Indexed as

AgingCyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16OvaryReproductionUp-RegulationAnimalsCellular SenescenceEmbryo TransferFemaleFertilization in VitroMiceMice, Inbred ICRPregnancyCyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16

Identifiers

PMID42101984
PMCPMC13155578

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.