Figure 5.

Loss of ASC or NLRP3 significantly preserves the primordial follicle pool in reproductively old mice. (A) Representative images of PAS-stained ovaries of 12-month-old WT, Asc^−/−, and Nlrp3^−/− mice. White head arrows indicate primordial follicles. Scale bars are 20 μm. Primordial (B) follicle numbers in ovaries from 2, 6, and 12-month-old WT, Asc^−/−, and Nlrp3^−/− mice. n = 3–6 per cohort. Primordial (C) follicle numbers in ovaries from 18-month-old WT, Asc^−/−, and Nlrp3^−/− mice. n = 4–6 per cohort. Each dot represents one animal. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. For each age group, comparisons were made with WT using Student's t-test (A,B) or Mann-Whitney test (A) (*p < 0.05).