Department of Urology, Imam Khomeini General Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Urology. 2011 Nov;78(5):1075-81. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2011.06.035. Epub 2011 Sep 9.
To evaluate the effect of the demographic/clinical characteristics of patients and testicular histologic findings on the in vitro colonization of human spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). In vitro isolation and proliferation of human SSCs has emerged as a suitable method for the enrichment of spermatogonia germ cells.
SSCs were isolated from the testicular biopsies of 47 infertile men with nonobstructive azoospermia and co-cultured with a Sertoli cell monolayer. Age, infertility duration, medical/surgical history, testicular size, and testicular histologic findings were recorded. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the growth/no growth of human SSC colonies in culture. As the main outcome measure, the number and diameter of germ cell-derived colonies were compared between 2 groups in days 8, 13, and 18 after cultivation with respect to the recorded parameters.
No difference was found between the 2 groups regarding the demographic/clinical parameters. Maturation arrest at the premeiotic spermatogonia stage was present in a considerably greater proportion in the group with growth of human SSC colonies compared with the group without growth of human SSC colonies (14 [45.1%] of 31 versus 3 [18.7%] of 16; P < .001) on days 8, 13, and 18 after culture. Maturation arrest at premeiotic SSCs was associated with a greater number and larger diameter of germ cell colonies compared with the maturation arrest at primary spermatocyte and secondary spermatocyte/spermatid stages (P < .001).
Infertile men with testicular histologic findings of maturation arrest at the premeiotic spermatogonia stage were seemingly the most appropriate candidates for testicular biopsy and in vitro propagation of human SSCs, regardless of their demographic/clinical characteristics.
评估患者的人口统计学/临床特征和睾丸组织学发现对人精原干细胞（SSC）体外定植的影响。体外分离和增殖人 SSC 已成为富集精原细胞的合适方法。
从 47 名患有非阻塞性无精子症的不育男性的睾丸活检中分离 SSC，并与支持细胞单层共培养。记录年龄、不育持续时间、医疗/手术史、睾丸大小和睾丸组织学发现。根据培养中人类 SSC 集落的生长/不生长情况，将患者分为 2 组。主要观察指标为在培养后第 8、13 和 18 天，比较 2 组中与记录参数相关的生殖细胞衍生集落的数量和直径。
在人口统计学/临床参数方面，2 组之间无差异。在有人类 SSC 集落生长的组中，与没有人类 SSC 集落生长的组相比，预减数分裂精原细胞阶段的成熟阻滞比例明显更高（8 天、13 天和 18 天分别为 14 [45.1%] 对 3 [18.7%]；P <.001）。在培养后第 8、13 和 18 天，预减数分裂 SSCs 的成熟阻滞与生殖细胞集落的数量更多、直径更大相关，与初级精母细胞和次级精母细胞/精子阶段的成熟阻滞相比（P <.001）。
无论人口统计学/临床特征如何，睾丸组织学表现为预减数分裂精原细胞阶段成熟阻滞的不育男性似乎是睾丸活检和人 SSC 体外增殖的最佳候选者。
