Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2
Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Burn and Wound Healing Research Center, Comparative and Experimental Medicine Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3
Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Abstract
Infertility is a common clinical condition and about half of the major causes are due to male-related infertility. Pathogenesis
of this abnormality is generally undefined; so establishing a proper treatment option is relatively uncertain. In recent
years, several evidences demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be a hope for innovative and efficient
treatment of male infertility. This study reviews possible applications of MSCs in the restoration of spermatogenesis
in male infertility of both humans and animals to suggest new avenues for future clinical practices. Articles published
in “PubMed” and “Google Scholar” from January 1, 2000, to August 1, 2023, were investigated by searching items of
“mesenchymal stem cells”, “cell therapy”, “cell transplantation”, and, “regenerative medicine” keywords, in addition
to the “urology”, “andrology”, “reproductive medicine”, “male infertility”, “azoospermia”, and “spermatogenesis”. The
results obtained from the transplantation of MSCs in the treatment of male infertility seemed encouraging and they
revealed the safety and efficacy of these cells to recover spermatogenesis; eventhough further stem cell research
is still required before recruiting clinical application of MSCs in the treatment of human male infertility. Undertaking more
well-defined, standardized, and reproducible protocols and enrolling larger sample sizes during a longer follow-up
period can benefit the relevance of MSC transplantation in the restoration of spermatogenesis and treatment of male
infertility. It seems that developing and utilizing stem cell transplantations, exosomes, scaffold delivery systems, and
three dimensional (3D) culture methods may open a new window to getting more benefits from cell therapy in the
treatment of men infertility.
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