Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Testicular Xenografting
Stefan Schlatt, Jose R. Rodriguez-Sosa, and Ina Dobrinski
Abstract Mammalian spermatogenesis is sustained by spermatogonial stem cells.
Although our knowledge of spermatogenesis and the biology of spermatogonial
stem cells has increased in the last decades, many aspects of spermatogonial
function still remain unclear, especially in the primate testis. The lack of suitable
systems to study testis development and spermatogenesis ex vivo has limited our
ability to elucidate these processes. Ectopic grafting of testis tissue from imma-
ture animals into immunodeficient mice provides a system to recapitulate sper-
matogenesis and to harvest fertilization-competent sperm from many mammalian
species, including primates. More recently, it was shown that isolated testis cells
from immature males are able to organize and rearrange into seminiferous cords
that subsequently undergo complete development, including production of viable
sperm. While few studies have been performed with xenografting human testis,
xenografting of non-human primate testis tissue has provided a novel approach
to study prepubertal maturation of the testis, optimize cryopreservation of testis
tissue, evaluate gonadotoxic effects, and produce fertilization competent primate
sperm. These novel strategies to generate sperm from spermatogonial stem cells
or immature testicular tissue could provide an option for fertility preservation by
cryopreservation of testicular tissue fragments from young patients whose future
fertility is at risk due to oncological treatment or other gonadotoxic exposures.
Here we review comparative aspects of testis tissue xenografting and clinical as
well as experimental applications to explore spermatogenesis and novel strategies for
preservation of male fertility in primates.
S. Schlatt ( * )
Center of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Münster, Domagkstraße 11,
48149 Münster, Germany
e-mail: Stefan.Schlatt@ukmuenster.de
I. Dobrinski ( * )
Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, University of Calgary, HRIC 2A C58, 3300 Hospital Drive, Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 4N1
e-mail: idobrins@ucalgary.ca
Search WWH ::




Custom Search