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  • Spermatogenèse Testiculaires
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Principes de préparation et de congélation des spermatozoïdes testiculaires humains

Principles of testicular sperm preparation and cryopreservation

Resume

L’intérêt et la faisabilité de la cryoconservation des spermatozoïdes testiculaires humains sont maintenant bien démontrés. Toutefois, la réalisation de la congélation de ces spermatozoïdes reste empirique, elle est basée essentiellement sur les techniques utilisées pour les spermatozoïdes de l’éjaculât. Les spermatozoïdes testiculaires sont considérés comme des gamètes encore «immatures» et sont toujours retrouvés en quantité limitée. Une meilleure connaissance de leurs caractéristiques cryobiologiques contribuerait à mieux définir le type d’échantillon à congeler (tissu, suspension cellulaire contenant des spermatozoïdes.…), à faire évoluer les processus de congélation/décongélation et la nature des milieux cryoprotecteurs et à adapter les conditions de stockage. Compte tenu des caractéristiques fonctionnelles de ces spermatozoïdes et du fait qu’ils sont utilisés exclusivement en ICSI, de nouveaux tests d’évaluation de la résistance à la congélation basés notamment sur leur qualité nucléaire devraient être développés.

Abstract

The advantages and feasibility of human testicular spermatozoa cryoconservation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have now been clearly demonstrated. However, the freezing protocol is based on empirical knowledge obtained from freezing of ejaculated spermatozoa. Testicular spermatozoa may not be fully mature gametes and may also be retrieved in only limited quantities. Little research has been conducted to determine whether they have the same cryobiological requirements as ejaculated spermatozoa. A better understanding of their cryobiological features and assessment of possible subcellular changes after thawing would help to optimize testicular preparations for cryopreservation (whole biopsies, seminiferous tubules, shredded suspension, single spermatozoa, etc.), freezing-thawing procedure, freezing media, and storage. Finally, there is a growing need for welldefined criteria (nuclear quality, etc.) to evaluate the tolerance of testicular spermatozoa to freezing-thawing procedure for ICSI

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Correspondence to Geneviève Grizard.

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Grizard, G., Force, A., Janny, L. et al. Principes de préparation et de congélation des spermatozoïdes testiculaires humains. Androl. 13, 128–133 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03034426

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