Kirkwood T B
Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Manchester, UK.
Maturitas. 1998 Oct 12;30(2):105-11. doi: 10.1016/s0378-5122(98)00065-6.
Ovarian ageing is not only of major importance in its own right but is also of interest for its relationship with the general biology of senescence. A key feature of ageing is the distinction in higher animals between the immortality of the germ-line and the mortality of somatic cells and tissues. The ovary contains the female germ cells, and it is through these cells that the female contribution to germ-line immortality is effected. It is abundantly clear that individual oocytes can and do age and that the ageing of the ovary plays a major role in initiating or accelerating a series of other senescent changes. To understand how ovarian ageing fits within the general biology of senescence, it is necessary to explain why ageing occurs at all, to examine the likely mechanisms of general ageing, and to ask whether there is anything special about ovarian ageing and its relationship with the human menopause. Research on ovarian ageing interacts with the our emerging understanding of the general biology of senescence at many levels, ranging from the evolution of the human life history to the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of ageing and longevity.
卵巢衰老不仅本身具有重要意义，而且因其与衰老的一般生物学的关系而备受关注。衰老的一个关键特征是高等动物中生殖系的不朽与体细胞和组织的死亡之间的区别。卵巢包含雌性生殖细胞，通过这些细胞，雌性对生殖系不朽的贡献得以实现。很明显，单个卵母细胞能够且确实会衰老，卵巢衰老在引发或加速一系列其他衰老变化中起主要作用。为了理解卵巢衰老如何融入衰老的一般生物学，有必要解释衰老为何会发生，研究一般衰老的可能机制，并探讨卵巢衰老及其与人类更年期的关系是否有任何特殊之处。对卵巢衰老的研究在许多层面上与我们对衰老一般生物学的新认识相互作用，从人类生命史的进化到衰老和长寿的生化及细胞机制。
