Distinct HPO axis responses and ovarian aging trajectories to chronic unpredictable mild stress in reproductively young versus middle-aged female mice

Abstract

Psychosocial stressors are key contributors to ovarian functional decline. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is widely used to model stress-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in mice; however, current animal models do not adequately reflect middle-aged women, who represent a key population exposed to chronic psychosocial stress, nor do they capture the dynamic progression toward POI. Here, female C57BL/6 mice aged 2 or 6 months were subjected to CUMS for 8 or 12 weeks. Estrous cyclicity, endocrine profiles, ovarian histology, and transcriptomic changes in HPO axis-related tissues were systematically analyzed. After 8 weeks of exposure, 2-month-old mice exhibited impaired pituitary responsiveness to estradiol negative feedback, as evidenced by dysregulated FSH secretion, indicating reduced stress tolerance compared with 6-month-old mice. Following 12 weeks of CUMS exposure, both age groups showed significant reductions in ovarian size and follicle numbers across all developmental stages. These findings demonstrate that CUMS induces an age-dependent progression toward POI, with short-term exposure eliciting compensatory phases preceding overt ovarian insufficiency, accompanied by distinct endocrine and reproductive alterations and differential responsiveness of the HPO axis. Transcriptomic analyses revealed age-dependent stress responses: ovaries of 2-month-old mice displayed marked activation of inflammatory and immune-related pathways, whereas 6-month-old mice showed sustained upregulation of protein kinase-related signaling networks. Notably, the 6-month-old CUMS model more closely recapitulates stress-associated reproductive aging in adult women. In briefCUMS has been widely used to establish mouse models of psychosocial stress-induced POI. However, current animal models do not adequately reflect middle-aged women, who represent a key population exposed to chronic psychosocial stress, nor do they capture the dynamic progression toward premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). In this study, we demonstrate that different durations of CUMS exposure induce distinct stages of ovarian dysfunction in both young and middle-aged mice, with short-term exposure driving age-dependent compensatory phases and prolonged exposure leading to overt POI, both accompanied by divergent endocrine and reproductive alterations, alongside age-dependent changes in HPO axis responsiveness to CUMS. Notably, the 6-month-old CUMS model shows greater clinical relevance in recapitulating chronic psychosocial stress and stress-related reproductive aging in adult women.