Recent Progress in Spermatology Contributing to the Knowledge and Conservation of Rare and Endangered Species

Comizzoli, Pierre; Holt, William V.

doi:10.1146/annurev-animal-020420-040600

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 143 publications

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“…When used in animal species, cryopreservation is used for artificial insemination by making use of frozen and thawed sperm to improve rates of genetic improvement ( 150 ). It is considered a valuable tool, as it allows the preservation of genetic material from endangered species, through the storage of these gametes in cryobanks ( 5 , 151 ).…”

Section: Current Strategies To Reestablish Testicular Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In humans, almost 50% of infertile couples have the male component as the major cause ( 1 – 3 ). Regarding other species, fertility preservation of endangered species has been the main goal, and the understanding of their reproductive biology assists on their conservation and management ( 4 , 5 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natural polymers, otherwise, due to their biological origin, present better cytocompatibility, which allows the development of a more reliable microenvironment, however, such components do not provide the entire ECM complexity ( 46 ). A more complex alternative to all these biomaterials is the application of decellularized matrixes, which, if well preserved, contain the main fibrillary and non-fibrillary components ( 4 , 5 , 47 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the greatest achievements was the application of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) for recent generations of humans and the increase of livestock production (27,28). More recently, due to environmental sustainability policies, such technologies have been devoted to endangered species conservation, seeking not only to maintain the current population, but to also preserve the genetic heritage (5,29,30). Some of the most prominent approaches to preserve male fertility include sperm and testicular tissue cryopreservation; germ cells transplantation, and testicular grafts (31)(32)(33)(34)).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biomaterials for Testicular Bioengineering: How far have we come and where do we have to go?

et al. 2023

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Traditional therapeutic interventions aim to restore male fertile potential or preserve sperm viability in severe cases, such as semen cryopreservation, testicular tissue, germ cell transplantation and testicular graft. However, these techniques demonstrate several methodological, clinical, and biological limitations, that impact in their results. In this scenario, reproductive medicine has sought biotechnological alternatives applied for infertility treatment, or to improve gamete preservation and thus increase reproductive rates in vitro and in vivo. One of the main approaches employed is the biomimetic testicular tissue reconstruction, which uses tissue-engineering principles and methodologies. This strategy pursues to mimic the testicular microenvironment, simulating physiological conditions. Such approach allows male gametes maintenance in culture or produce viable grafts that can be transplanted and restore reproductive functions. In this context, the application of several biomaterials have been proposed to be used in artificial biological systems. From synthetic polymers to decellularized matrixes, each biomaterial has advantages and disadvantages regarding its application in cell culture and tissue reconstruction. Therefore, the present review aims to list the progress that has been made and the continued challenges facing testicular regenerative medicine and the preservation of male reproductive capacity, based on the development of tissue bioengineering approaches for testicular tissue microenvironment reconstruction.

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Section: Current Strategies To Reestablish Testicular Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Biomaterials for Testicular Bioengineering: How far have we come and where do we have to go?

et al. 2023

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“…The cryopreservation of spermatozoa has been used successfully in agriculture and human medicine for more than five decades, but applications in conservation biology have remained somewhat unpredictable. Semen cryopreservation and successful animal breeding have been undertaken in a range of fishes, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and this experience has led to the currently increasing interest in semen cryopreservation and the establishment of genetic resource banks (GRBs), often known as biobanks [ 82 , 83 , 84 ]. The breeding of the Giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) and Black-footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) populations provides two, and possibly the only two, examples in which endangered species populations have been successfully boosted through the use of cryopreserved semen, biobanking and artificial insemination [ 85 , 86 ].…”

Section: Impacts Of Gamete Cryopreservation On Offspring Development ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation Biology and Reproduction in a Time of Developmental Plasticity

Holt¹,

Comizzoli

2022

Biomolecules

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The objective of this review is to ask whether, and how, principles in conservation biology may need to be revisited in light of new knowledge about the power of epigenetics to alter developmental pathways. Importantly, conservation breeding programmes, used widely by zoological parks and aquariums, may appear in some cases to reduce fitness by decreasing animals’ abilities to cope when confronted with the ‘wild side’ of their natural habitats. Would less comfortable captive conditions lead to the selection of individuals that, despite being adapted to life in a captive environment, be better able to thrive if relocated to a more natural environment? While threatened populations may benefit from advanced reproductive technologies, these may actually induce undesirable epigenetic changes. Thus, there may be inherent risks to the health and welfare of offspring (as is suspected in humans). Advanced breeding technologies, especially those that aim to regenerate the rarest species using stem cell reprogramming and artificial gametes, may also lead to unwanted epigenetic modifications. Current knowledge is still incomplete, and therefore ethical decisions about novel breeding methods remain controversial and difficult to resolve.

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Differences in sperm morphology between Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra are consistent with the intensity of sperm competition in each species

Hirst

Rodas‐Martínez

Milich

et al. 2023

American J Primatol

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The intensity of sperm competition, in which sperm compete within the female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize her eggs, varies in species with different mating systems. Sperm competition is more intense in species where males cannot monopolize access to reproductive females and females mate with multiple males. In this scenario, a morphological change that increases the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize eggs should rapidly spread in the population, leading to sperm morphological differences between closely related species. Differences in sperm morphology have been reported among primate species with different mating systems. However, due to the inherent logistical and ethical difficulties to sample sperm from wild primates, the extent of variation in sperm morphology within species and among closely related species remains understudied. Here, we compared sperm morphological traits from two sister howler monkey species (Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra) that have different mating systems to investigate the effect of sperm competition on sperm morphological traits. We predicted that sperm from A. palliata, where females have more opportunities to mate with multiple males, would show differences in traits associated with increase sperm competitiveness compared to A. pigra where females mostly mate with the central male. We used linear mixed models to determine species differences in sperm morphology, controlling for individual variation. We found that midpieces and heads in A. palliata sperm were on average 26.2% and 11.0% longer, respectively, than those of A. pigra. Differences in these traits are important for sperm speed and hydrodynamic movement in other species and can affect fertilization success. This study provides empirical evidence of sperm morphological traits that evolved through sexual selection in sister primate species with different mating systems.

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Recent Progress in Spermatology Contributing to the Knowledge and Conservation of Rare and Endangered Species

Cited by 14 publications

References 143 publications

Biomaterials for Testicular Bioengineering: How far have we come and where do we have to go?

Biomaterials for Testicular Bioengineering: How far have we come and where do we have to go?

Conservation Biology and Reproduction in a Time of Developmental Plasticity

Differences in sperm morphology between Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra are consistent with the intensity of sperm competition in each species

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