Preparation of spermatogonial stem cell recipient using heat or cold treatments

If spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are transplanted into the testicles of lambs that do not have this type of cell, they begin to produce sperm in the testis of the recipient rams. The aim of this study was to prepare recipient lambs. For this purpose, heat treatments of 35, 45, 55 and 65 °C or water-ice treatment for 20, 40 and 60 minutes were used for three replicates with two days interval. The results showed that the condition of the testicles was normal at 45 °C, but the treatment at 55 °C caused infection in the seminiferous tubules and at 65 °C, the testicles were completely destroyed. The use of water-ice treatments did not change the appearance of the testes. Colony formation after extraction and culture of SSCs at 45 °C treatment and water-ice treatments were significantly reduced compared to the control (P <0.05). Also, the expression of c-myc, plzfand gfrl genes as specific SSC markers was significantly reduced in 45 °C and cold treatments compared with the control (P <0.05). Accordingly, for reducing the number of SSCs in lambs’ testicles, water ice or 45 °C treatments for 20 minutes can be used three times at intervals of two days.