Therapeutic Potential of Bone Marrow- and Ovarian/Endometrium-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Regulating Ovarian Function in a Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Mellitus Rat Model

Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced pancreatic damage leads to β-cell injury and hyperglycemia, providing a controlled model to study ovarian dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from ovary, endometrium, and bone marrow to restore ovarian function in rats with STZ-induced diabetes mellitus, due to their ease of isolation and capacity for differentiation. Fifty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: control, STZ-induced pancreatic damage, and STZ-induced rats treated with ovarian, endometrium, or bone marrow-derived MSCs. Pancreatic damage was induced via intraperitoneal injection of 45 mg/kg STZ in 32 rats. Rats with blood glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL were considered hyperglycemic and monitored for six weeks. MSCs were isolated from healthy donors, cultured, characterized by flow cytometry, and labeled with BrdU. At the third week, 2 × 10⁶ cells in PBS were injected into the ovaries via the endometrial canal. At the sixth week, rats were sacrificed, and ovarian tissues were analyzed histopathologically and immunohistochemically. The results showed that streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus led to structural alterations in ovarian follicles. Notably, bone marrow- and ovary-derived MSCs were effective in ameliorating these changes, while endometrium-derived MSCs showed moderate effects. These findings suggest that MSCs have therapeutic potential to mitigate ovarian dysfunction caused by pancreatic β-cell injury and hyperglycemia, highlighting their possible role as a cellular therapy in models of STZ-induced ovarian impairment.