Transplantation in reproductive medicine: previous experience, present knowledge and future prospects

Abstract

The use of transplantation in reproductive medicine has been considered by physicians and scientists alike for many years. Despite being side-tracked into futile pursuits of rejuvenation in the early days, the possibility of usefulness remains, particularly for preserving fertility in patients undergoing ablative chemo- or radiotherapy. These aims have been enhanced by advances in tissue cryopreservation. When isolated primordial follicles are transferred in the mouse, or ovarian tissue slices are grafted into sheep, it is possible to obtain follicular survival with subsequent maturation and oestrogen secretion and even restore fertility to sterilized hosts. For preservation of fertility, autografts avoid both the immunological problems of allografts and the ethical dilemmas when using donor tissue. In the male, the concept of spermatogonial cell transfer after isolation and frozen storage of cells recovered from a testicular biopsy is most attractive, since it may provide another option for rescuing fertility in cancer patients, and provide a much needed one in children. Recent results demonstrate that gonocytes from immature mice injected into the tubules of sterilized hosts restore spermatogenesis and produce fertile spermatozoa. Furthermore, the gonocytes can be stored frozen prior to transfer and still produce fertile tubules. This review presents a broad history of transplantation in the male and female genital tracts as well as attempts to anticipate possible future developments.

Blastocyst Development After Cryopreservation and Subcutaneous Transplantation of Mouse Ovarian Tissue

“…Oktay et al also developed human primordial follicles to the antral stage after transplantation under kidney capsule of nude mice (14,15). Both the ovary and renal capsules are rich in angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor, which further enhance survival and revascularization (1,3,10). But, as noted in the Introduction, grafts under the renal capsule made ovum retrieval difficult, leading us to investigate subcutaneous transplantation as an alternative.…”

“…This is especially important for unmarried women or children who cannot use embryo cryopreservation. In addition to fertility preservation, restoration of endocrine function is also under investigation (1 3 To whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: lsh@ms1. mmh.org.tw.…”

Human oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation and its application

“…Contrary to difficulties with full size oocytes, immature oocytes in primordial follicles that are found in the ovarian cortex are less sensitive to cryopreservation damage because they are small, not well developed, with few organelles, no pellucida, and are relatively metabolically quiescent and undifferentiated [85,86]. Therefore, cryopreservation of ovarian cortex tissue which is rich in primordial and primary follicles has been suggested as an alternative to ovulation induction and oocyte cryopreservation for preserving fertility [87,88].…”

Prepubertal testis hücre süspansiyonun dondurulmasında seeding etkisi

“…Ancak doku hücre bağlantılarının korunması nedeniyle hücre süspansiyonuna kıyasla daha fazla permeable kriyoprotektan gerektirmektedir [27]. Fazla kriyoprotektan kullanımının ise hücrelerde toksik etkinin artmasına neden olduğu bildirilmektedir [28].…”