Revitalizing female fertility: platelet-rich plasma - hype or hope?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained popularity as an experimental tool in regenerative medicine, with potential applications in reproductive medicine. This review will assess the existing literature on the role of PRP in female fertility enhancement, focusing on ovarian rejuvenation and increased endometrial thickness. PRP is being explored as a treatment for recurrent implantation failure, primary ovarian insufficiency and poor ovarian response. While the influence of PRP on endometrial thickness and implantation success is postulated, its effectiveness remains the subject of debate due to protocol variability and unclear patient selection criteria. This narrative review includes 36 articles published before December 2022, and highlights the lack of comprehensive molecular studies examining the impact of PRP on reproductive capacity. This review underscores the importance of standardizing PRP preparation protocols in reproductive medicine. However, challenges persist, and there is a need for well-planned randomized controlled trials and a deeper understanding of the patient population that would gain the greatest benefit from PRP treatment. Clarifying these aspects is crucial to improve outcomes for low-prognosis patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

Additive-manufactured microporous polymer membranes for biomedical in vitro applications

Microscale porous membranes are used in a wide range of technical and medical applications such as water treatment, dialysis and in vitro test systems. A promising approach to control membrane properties and overcome limitations of conventional fabrication techniques is given by additive manufacturing (AM). In this study, we designed and printed a microporous membrane via digital light processing and validated its use for biomedical in vitro applications based on the example of a cell culture insert. A multi-layer technique was developed, resulting in an eight-layer membrane with an average pore diameter of 25 µm. Image analyses proved the printing accuracy to be high with small deviations for an increasing number of layers. Permeability tests with brilliant blue FCF (E133, triarylmethane dye) and growth factors comparing the printed to track-etched membranes showed similar transfer dynamics and confirmed sufficient separation properties. Overall, the results showed that printing microporous polymer membranes is possible and highlight the potential of AM for biomedical in vitro applications such as cell culture inserts, scaffolds for tissue engineering or bioreactors.