Pediatric cancer survivors experiencing gonadotoxic chemoradiation therapy may encounter subfertility or permanent infertility. However, previous studies of cryopreservation of immature testicular tissue (ITT) have mainly been limited to in vitro studies. In this study, we aim to evaluate in vitro and in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) for solid surface-vitrified (SSV) ITT grafts until adulthood. The donors and recipients were transgenic and wild-type mice, respectively, with fresh ITT grafts used as the control group. In our study, the frozen ITT grafts remained intact as shown in the BLI, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses. Graft survival was analyzed by BLI on days 1, 2, 5, 7, and 31 after transplantation. The signals decreased by quantum yield between days 2 and 5 in both groups, but gradually increased afterwards until day 31, which were significantly stronger than day 1 after transplantation (p = 0.008). The differences between the two groups were constantly insignificant, suggesting that both fresh and SSV ITT can survive, accompanied by spermatogenesis, until adulthood. The ITT in both groups presented similar BLI intensity and intact cells and ultrastructures for spermatogenesis. This translational model demonstrates the great potential of SSV for ITT in pre-pubertal male fertility preservation.

Prepubertal boys with cancer may suffer from reduced fertility and maturity following gonadotoxic chemoradiotherapy. Thus, a viable method of immature testicular tissue (ITT) preservation is required in this cohort. In this study, we used poly-L-lactic acid electrospun scaffolds with two levels of fineness to support the development of ITT transplanted from transgenic donors to wild-type recipient mice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of ITT transplantation and spermatogenesis after using the two scaffolds, employing bioluminescence imaging for evaluation. The results suggest that ITT from 4-week-old mice possessed the most potential in spermatogenesis on the 70th day, together with the fine electrospun scaffolds. Moreover, bioluminescent imaging intensity was observed in recipient mice for up to 107 days, approximately six times more than the coarse electrospun scaffold and the control group. This occurs since the fine scaffold is more akin to the microenvironment of native testicular tissue as it reduces stiffness resulting from micronization and body fluid infiltration. The thermal analysis also exhibited recrystallization during the biodegradation process, which can lead to a more stable microenvironment. Overall, these findings present the prospect of fertility preservation in prepubertal males and could serve as a framework for future applications.

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adolescents has increased rapidly in recent decades. However, the role of adipokines on pathophysiology in young-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (YDM) is not clear. In this article, we explored the relationships between the adipokines (visfatin and retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4)) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components in both YDM and late-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (ODM). Materials and Methods: There were 36 patients with YDM (23.6 ± 4.8 years) and 36 patients with ODM (54.3 ± 10.1 years) enrolled. Visfatin, RBP4, and MetS components were measured. The relationships between visfatin, RBP4 and MetS components were assessed in YDM and ODM. Results: The visfatin, but not the RPB4 level, was significantly higher in YDM than in ODM. After adjusting for age and body mass index, visfatin was not related to any MetS components except that there was a negative correlation with fasting plasma glucose (FPG). As for RPB4, triglyceride was found to be positively and FPG negatively related to RBP4 in YDM. However, in ODM, the only positive relationship that existed was between RBP4 and diastolic blood pressure. Conclusions: In conclusion, both visfatin and RBP4 had certain roles in diabetes and MetS although their relationships were different in YDM and ODM. Further studies are needed to explore their physiological and pathological effects in glucose metabolism.