The Role of Autophagy in the Female Reproduction System: For Beginners to Experts in This Field

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Autophagy, a fundamental mechanism for maintaining homeostasis, has been studied in the field of reproductive health. Accurate evaluation of autophagy activity is possible in cells and experimental animals, but it is difficult for fixed tissues, including human samples. In this review, we introduce some studies related to autophagy in this field and provide a tip for interpreting experimental results and understanding autophagy. ABSTRACT: Autophagy is a fundamental process involved in regulating cellular homeostasis. Autophagy has been classically discovered as a cellular process that degrades cytoplasmic components non-selectively to produce energy. Over the past few decades, this process has been shown to work in energy production, as well as in the reduction of excessive proteins, damaged organelles, and membrane trafficking. It contributes to many human diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, carcinogenesis, diabetes mellitus, development, longevity, and reproduction. In this review, we provide important information for interpreting results related to autophagic experiments and present the role of autophagy in this field.