The role of anti-Müllerian hormone as a therapeutic agent to preserve the ovarian follicle pool during chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Cancer treatments can deplete the ovarian follicle reserve, causing infertility and early menopause, with subsequent decline in cardiovascular, cognitive, and overall women's health. Medical measures to prevent this chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage are currently not available. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is an inhibitory glycoprotein that plays a central role in regulating ovarian follicle development across the female lifespan, and in vitro, ex vivo, and gene therapy studies have demonstrated that AMH can protect the ovarian follicle pool during chemotherapy treatments.

METHODS

Narrative review of available literature.

RESULTS

Experimental work has shown how AMH modulates folliculogenesis, notably through its signaling pathway that activates SMAD proteins, ultimately modulating the PI3K/AKT/FOXO3a pathway to help maintain primordial follicle dormancy and prevent premature depletion of the ovarian pool.

CONCLUSIONS

This review summarizes current understanding of AMH biosynthesis, AMH receptor 2 (AMHR2) signaling, and their genetic regulation, and examines emerging translational research on the use of recombinant AMH to protect the ovarian follicle reserve in models of accelerated ovarian damage, specifically chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity. Finally, this review highlights the potential of AMH-based therapies to preserve fertility and delay follicular depletion in conditions such as endometriosis, chronic inflammation, and natural aging. It distinguishes established findings from emerging hypotheses and outlines key challenges for translating these strategies into early-phase clinical trials.