Infertility in women has been associated with increased ovarian fibrosis with age, and failure to ovulate an egg in conditions such as polycystic ovarian disease. Fibrosis can be increased by certain growth factors, such as the CCN proteins, which may also be involved in inflammatory processes leading to ovulation. This review summarized the known effects of CCN proteins in ovarian function, and proposes a role in ovulation. Image made in BioRender.

This article belongs to the collection: The biology of the ovary – Honouring the contributions of Ken P McNatty and Rex J Scaramuzzi.