Irreversible damage in ovine ovarian tissue after cryopreservation in propanediol: analyses after in vitro culture and xenotransplantation.

Current progress in cancer treatment has increased the incidence of long-term patient survival. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OT) is still the most promising fertility saving method offered to young female patients with cancer prior to the onset of radio-chemotherapy. Further follicular development of immature primordial follicles depends on transplantation or in vitro culture (IVC). Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness of cryopreserved ovine OT with 1,2-propanediol (PROH) after short-term IVC and xenotransplantation (XT). Ovarian tissue fragments from young adult sheep were cryopreserved using a standard slow-freezing protocol with 1.5 M PROH. Cryopreserved OT was assessed by light- and transmission electron microscopic analyses after thawing, IVC or XT in severe immunodeficient mice. Control OT showed the presence of healthy preantral follicles (Mean: 78.8%; SE 2.9%) and normal structure of the stromal tissue. After thawing and IVC over 80% of damaged primordial follicles and poor preservation of the stromal tissue was observed. After XT, OT demonstrated deficient follicles and huge areas of vacuolization in the stromal tissue confirmed by ultrastructural assessment. In conclusion, because of the irreversible character of the follicular and stromal damage of cryopreserved ovine ovarian tissue after IVC and XT, strong improvement of the utilized protocol is needed to be suitable for the preservation of ovine ovarian tissue. The deleterious effects of PROH do not imply its exclusion as cryoprotectant, but more research is needed for the development of less toxic cryoprotectant mixtures and toxicity neutralizers with attested cryoprotectant capacity for the safe and feasible freezing of human ovarian tissue.