Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Cryopreservation of Mouse Embryos by Ethylene Glycol-Based Vitrification
Published on: November 18, 2011
Cryopreservation of prepubertal mouse testicular tissue by vitrification
Mara Curaba1, Magali Verleysen, Christiani Andrade Amorim
1Gynecology Research Unit, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Objective:
To compare cryopreservation of prepubertal testicular tissue after vitrification (V) and slow-freezing (SF).
Design:
Prospective experimental study.
Setting:
Academic research unit.
Animal(S):
Six-day-old mice.
Intervention(S):
After cryopreservation, viability tests (n = 10) and short-term culture (1 and 3 days) (n = 5) were performed. A comparison was made with fresh (FR) and noncultured controls (FR Ctrl).
Main Outcomes Measure(S):
Tissue viability was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase release assay. Apoptosis (caspase-3) and proliferation (Ki67) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and tubular diameter, integrity, and cell density by light microscopy.
Result(S):
Lactate dehydrogenase release was greater after SF than V (54.6% vs. 26.7%), whereas the mean number of apoptotic cells/tubule was higher after V than SF (2.13 vs. 0.07). On day 1, a decrease in cell density was noted in both cryopreserved groups, but this difference was not subsequently observed. On day 3, an increase in proliferation was seen in the SF and V groups versus FR tissue, and similar tubular diameter, integrity, and cell density were found in all cultured groups.
Conclusion(S):
This study shows that both SF and V protocols preserve survival, development, and integrity of prepubertal mouse testicular tissue in short-term organotypic culture. Additional investigation should now be conducted to assess tissue functionality.
