Adipose tissue-derived stem cell therapy in rat cryopreserved ovarian grafts

The preliminary results of ovarian transplantation in clinical practice are encouraging. However, the follicular depletion caused by ischemic injury is a main concern and is directly related to short-term graft survival. Cell therapy with adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) could be an alternative to induce early angiogenesis in the graft. This study aimed to evaluate ASCs therapy in rat cryopreserved ovarian grafts. A single dose of rat ASC (rASCs) or vehicle was injected into the bilateral cryopreserved ovaries of twelve adult female rats immediately after an autologous transplant. Daily vaginal smears were performed for estrous cycle evaluation until euthanasia on postoperative day 30. Follicle viability, graft morphology and apoptosis were assessed. No differences were found with respect to estrous cycle resumption and follicle viability (P>0.05). However, compared with the vehicle-treated grafts, the morphology of the ASCs-treated grafts was impaired, with diffuse atrophy and increased apoptosis (P<0.05). ASCs direct injected in the stroma of rat cryopreserved ovarian grafts impaired its morphology although may not interfere with the functional resumption on short-term. Further investigations are necessary to evaluated whether it could compromise their viability in the long-term.