Autologous Transplantation of Adult Mice Spermatogonial Stem Cells into Gamma Irradiated Testes

Abstract

Objective: We evaluated structural and functional changes of fresh and frozen-thawed adult mouse spermatogonial stem cells following auto-transplantation into gamma-irra-diated testes. Materials and Methods: In this experimental research, the right testes from adult mice (n=25) were collected, then Sertoli and spermatogonial cells were isolated using two-step enzymatic digestion, lectin immobilization and differential plating. Three weeks after culti-vation, the Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled spermatogonial cells were transplanted, via rete testis, into the other testis of the same mouse, which had been irradiated with 14Gy. The mice were transplanted with: fresh cells (control 1), fresh cells co-cultured with Ser-toli cells (control 2), the frozen-thawed cells (experimental 1) and frozen-thawed cells co-cultured with Sertoli cells (experimental 2). The morphological changes between different transplanted testes groups were compared in 8 weeks after transplantation. The statistical significance between mean values was determined by Kruskal Wallis and one-way analysis of variance in efficiency of transplantation