Cisplatin and carboplatin result in similar gonadotoxicity in immature human testis with implications for fertility preservation in childhood cancer.

Tharmalingam MD., Matilionyte G., Wallace WHB., Stukenborg J-B., Jahnukainen K., Oliver E., Goriely A., Lane S., Guo J., Cairns B., Jorgensen A., Allen CM., Lopes F., Anderson RA., Spears N., Mitchell RT.

BACKGROUND: Clinical studies indicate chemotherapy agents used in childhood cancer treatment regimens may impact future fertility. However, effects of individual agents on prepubertal human testis, necessary to identify later risk, have not been determined. The study aimed to investigate the impact of cisplatin, commonly used in childhood cancer, on immature (foetal and prepubertal) human testicular tissues. Comparison was made with carboplatin, which is used as an alternative to cisplatin in order to reduce toxicity in healthy tissues. METHODS: We developed an organotypic culture system combined with xenografting to determine the effect of clinically-relevant exposure to platinum-based chemotherapeutics on human testis. Human foetal and prepubertal testicular tissues were cultured and exposed to cisplatin, carboplatin or vehicle for 24 h, followed by 24-240 h in culture or long-term xenografting. Survival, proliferation and apoptosis of prepubertal germ stem cell populations (gonocytes and spermatogonia), critical for sperm production in adulthood, were quantified. RESULTS: Cisplatin exposure resulted in a significant reduction in the total number of germ cells (- 44%, p 

DOI

10.1186/s12916-020-01844-y

Type

Journal article

Journal

BMC Med

Publication Date

04/12/2020

Volume

18

Keywords

Cisplatin, Fertility, Foetal, Germ cell, Human, Prepubertal, Testis, Xenograft, Animals, Carboplatin, Child, Cisplatin, Fertility Preservation, Humans, Male, Mice, Neoplasms, Testis, Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

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