Development of An Artificial Male Germ Cell Niche Using Electrospun Poly Vinyl Alcohol/Human Serum Albumin/Gelatin Fibers

Objective: Recent achievements in stem cell biotechnology, nanotechnology and tissue engineering have led to development of novel approaches in regenerative medicine. Azoospermia is one of the challenging disorders of the reproductive system. Several efforts were made for isolation and culture of testis-derived stem cells to treat male infertility. However, tissue engineering is the best approach to mimic the three dimensional microenvironment of the testis in vitro. We investigated whether human testis-derived cells (hTCs) obtained by testicular sperm extraction (TESE) can be cultured on a homemade scaffold composed of electrospun nanofibers of homogeneous poly (vinyl alcohol)/human serum albumin/gelatin (PVA/HSA/gelatin).

Materials and methods: In this experimental lab study, human TCs underwent two steps of enzymatic cell isolation and five culture passages. Nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Attachment of cells onto the scaffold was shown by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining and SEM. Cell viability study using MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl) -2, 5-diphenyl -2H- tetrazolium bromide] assay was performed on days 7 and 14.

Results: Visualization by H and E staining and SEM indicated that hTCs were seeded on the scaffold. MTT test showed that the PVA/HSA/gelatin scaffold is not toxic for hTCs.

Conclusion: It seems that this PVA/HSA/gelatin scaffold is supportive for growth of hTCs.