Male germ cell transplantation: an experimental approach with a clinical perspective

Germ cell transplantation was developed in strains of mice. The infusion of germ cell preparations into the seminiferous tubules of infertile hosts le d to repopulation of the testis with donor germ cells and restored fertilit y. Meanwhile, this technique has become a powerful tool to study the expans ion of the testicular stem cell population and the kinetics of spermatogoni al proliferation and re-induction of spermatogenesis. Further approaches, s uch as the transfer of rat/hamster/rabbit germ cells into mouse testes or c ryopreservation or culture of spermatogonia, have widened the spectrum of a pplications associated with germ cell transplantation. Since the devastatin g effects of chemo- or radiotherapy on spermatogonia are the cause of infer tility in oncological patients, germ cell transplantation might become an a lternative approach for gonadal protection in prepubertal and postpubertal male tumour patients. This review focusses on recent developments with resp ect to germ cell transplantation and highlights the problems and perspectiv es of future clinical applications.