Impact of testicular sperm extraction and testicular sperm aspiration on gonadal function in an experimental rat model

Abstract

PurposeTo assess the impact of sperm retrieval on the gonadal function of rats with impaired spermatogenesis by comparing testicular sperm extraction (TESE) to aspiration (TESA). The efficacy of these procedures to sperm obtainment was also compared.Materials and MethodsA pilot study showed impaired spermatogenesis, but normal testosterone (T) production after a bilateral orchidopexy applied to 26 rats, which were randomly assigned into four groups: TESE (n=7), TESA (n=7), SHAM (n=6) and Control (n=6). The T levels were measured through comparative analysis after the orchidopexy.ResultsThere was no statistical difference in the animal's baseline T levels after orchidopexy in comparison to the controls: the TESE and TESA groups, 6.66±4.67ng/mL; the SHAM group (orchidopexy only), 4.99±1.96ng/mL; and the Control, 4.75±1.45ng/mL, p=0.27. Accordingly, no difference was found in the postoperative T levels: TESE, 5.35±4.65ng/mL; TESA, 3.96±0.80ng/mL; SHAM, 3.70±1.27ng/mL; p=0.4. The number of sperm cells found through TESE (41.0±7.0) was significantly larger than that found through TESA (21.3±8.1, p=0.001). Moreover, higher tissue weight was found through TESE (0.09±0.02g versus 0.04±0.04g, p=0.04).ConclusionsThe testicular sperm capture performed in rats through extraction or aspiration, after orchidopexy, did not significantly decrease the T levels. The amount of sperm found through testicular sperm extraction was higher than that through testicular sperm aspiration.

Therapeutic approaches for anti-sperm-antibodies in the testicular sperm aspiration rat model

“…This finding contrasts with the study on rats by Barroso et al . [ 35 ], who did not find any change in testosterone levels, and it is consistent with human studies conducted following TSA [ 23 , 36 ]. According to our findings, the ASAs titer of the positive control TSA rats was 1/512 at week 2, 1/64 at week 4, and 1/128 at weeks 6 and 8, with a mean antibody index (%) of 24.97.…”

Does testicular sperm retrieval adversely impact spermatogenesis over the long‐term?

“…In certain cases, there is persistent sonographic evidence of scar tissue along the biopsy site (Ramasamy et al, 2005;Schlegel & Su, 1997). Signs of acute damage identified with histological samples of testicular tissue following sperm extraction have been TA B L E 1 Baseline characteristics of the TESA and micro-TESE cohorts corroborated in animal studies as well (Barroso et al, 2018;Fedder et al, 2017). However, the long-term effects of TESA and micro-TESE on spermatogenic function have not been widely documented.…”