Researchers at the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) School of Biomedical, Biomolecular, and Chemical Sciences have found convincing results that show a strong link between infertility and antibody causation. In an effort to produce a contraceptive for research mice, an accidental discovery was made. When mice were given a modified virus which expressed glycoprotein zona pellucid 3 (ZP3), which serves as an important ingredient in the development of ovarian follicles and allows fertilization to occur in women, the mice’s immune systems produced antibodies against the protein.
Within 14 days, the mice showed signs of reduced fertility; and within 21 days, complete infertility. These findings, according to Dr. Megan Lloyd, head of this particular research study, show that it is indeed possible that antibodies to ZP3 can contribute to ovarian damage in women. “…there are a number of women who have infertility of unknown cause and a proportion of these women do have antibodies to ZP3,” according to Dr. Llyod.
While these results shed light on a progressively difficult issue for women, more research is required to fully understand this process. Furthermore, according to Dr. Lloyd more work needs to be done in the early stages of autoimmune disease. During these stages, there is less likelihood that further damage has occurred to the ovaries and researchers can begin to understand what happens to the antibody specifically and whether it induces other parts of the immune system to act within the ovary.
