Allogeneic transplantation of undifferentiated Sertoli cells as a method for correction of testicular dysfunction in the experimental cryptorchidism model

Testicular dysfunction is a serious medical and social problem that leads to infertility, endocrine disorders and impaired sexual development. Existing treatment methods are often limited to surgery and replacement therapy that in its turn cannot restore the structural elements of already damaged testicular tissue fully. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of allogeneic Sertoli cell transplantation as a treatment for testicular dysfunction caused by experimental cryptorchidism. Materials and methods used: a single-center experimental randomized controlled trial was conducted on 24 outbred rats that were subjected to abdominal cryptorchidism for 90 days, after which the animals were divided into three groups of 8 animals each. In the experimental group, the animals were injected with a medium containing undifferentiated Sertoli cells into the testes (“Group O”); animals from the control group 1 were injected with DMEM medium into the testes (“Group K”); and from the second control group 2 they’ve underwent the usual lowering of the testes into the scrotum (“Group K+B”). Ninety days after the lowering of the testes into the scrotum, the animals were taken out of the experiment and the testes were removed for subsequent histological examination. Results: the average testis weight 90 days after the transplantation of undifferentiated Sertoli cells in Group O was 530 milligrams which was significantly higher than the testis weight in the animals from both of the control groups. In animals from the control Group K, the average testis weight was statistically significantly lower than in animals from the experimental group and amounted to 282 mg (p=0.003). Also, in the experimental group of animals, 90 days after the transplantation, the seminiferous tubules were found with spermatogenesis completely restored in them. In both of the control groups, no signs of spermatogenesis restoration were recorded (p<0.001). Conclusion: undifferentiated Sertoli cells when transplanted into the testes are capable of forming the new seminiferous tubules and supporting spermatogenesis processes in them. The positive transplantation outcome was expressed as the increase in the weight of the testes compared to those of the control groups coupled with the presence of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules and differentiation processes in them.