Fertility preservation through gonadal cryopreservation

Abstract

Fertility preservation is an area of immense interest in today's society. The most effective and established means of fertility preservation is cryopreservation of gametes (sperm and oocytes) and embryos. Gonadal cryopreservation is yet another means for fertility preservation, especially if the gonadal function is threatened by premature menopause, gonadotoxic cancer treatment, surgical castration, or diseases. It can also aid in the preservation of germplasm of animals that die before attaining sexual maturity. This is especially of significance for valuable, rare, and endangered animals whose population is affected by high neonatal/juvenile mortality because of diseases, poor management practices, or inbreeding depression. Establishing genome resource banks to conserve the genetic status of wild animals will provide a critical interface between ex-situ and in-situ conservation strategies. Cryopreservation of gonads effectively lengthens the genetic lifespan of individuals in a breeding program even after their death and contributes towards germplasm conservation of prized animals. Although the studies on domestic animals are quite promising, there are limitations for developing cryopreservation strategies in wild animals. In this review, we discuss different options for gonadal tissue cryopreservation with respect to humans and to laboratory, domestic, and wild animals. This review also covers recent developments in gonadal tissue cryopreservation and transplantation, providing a systematic view and the advances in the field with the possibility for its application in fertility preservation and for the conservation of germplasm in domestic and wild species.

Innovations in cryoconservation of animal genetic resources

“…Like the cryopreservation of whole gonads, cryopreservation of excised testicular or ovarian tissue pieces has recently emerged as a viable means of preserving germplasm from prepubertal and sexually mature animals. Methods have been developed to slow freeze or vitrify whole, hemi-, pieces or follicles from ovaries as well as whole, hemi-or pieces of testes (Devi and Goel, 2016). Preservation of those tissues in those formats has been undertaken in human, wildlife, non-human primates, domesticated pets, rodents and aquatic species (Dupré et al, 2016;Pšenička et al, 2016), insects (Fukumori et al, 2017;A.…”

Cattle Conservation in the 21st Century: A Mini Review

“…There are reports of successful cryopreservation of immature testicular tissues in goat [99], pig [100] [101], cattle [102], and sheep [103]. However, it is important to note that the developmental stage of the testis plays an important role in the cryopreservation and subsequently on the semen product [104]. Successful cryopreservation of gonadal tissue is an important factor that guarantees fertility preservation [93].…”

Influence of Microwave-Assisted Drying on Structural Integrity and Viability of Testicular Tissues from Adult and Prepubertal Domestic Cats

“…Preservation of testicular tissue is complex due to the variety of cells, including spermatogonia and spermatocytes, which are primary cells leading to mature sperm cells during spermatogenesis. 15 In addition to preserving the histomorphology, DNA damage must be prevented while developing new preservation approaches. A loss in DNA integrity can lead to infertility in the parent as well as the future offspring.…”