A Novel Cultivation System for Germ Cell Proliferation and Sustaining Whole Testicular Niche.

ABSTRACT: Childhood cancer treatments often impair male fertility due to gonadotoxic effects. While in vitro culture of prepubertal testis tissue offers a potential solution to preserve fertility, producing sufficient sperm remains a major barrier. To address this, we developed a hydrogel microneedle-based culture system, which is used to culture mouse testes from 5 days postpartum (dpp) and establish a model of 'whole testicular spermatogonia pool' (WTSP). This system promotes over fourfold expansion of undifferentiated spermatogonia, compared to declining numbers during in vivo development. Transplantation of WTSP into nude mice doubled spermatids count per tubule compared to conventional whole testes transplantation. Furthermore, in vitro meiosis induction of WTSP significantly enhanced spermatid

SUBMITTER: Xia Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12533374 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature