Fatemeh Javani Jouni, Jaber Zafari, Parviz Abdolmaleki
ABSTRACT
Primordial germ cell (PGC) transplantation has become an assay to estimate the potential of germ cell development and a tool to determine whether the somatic environment or the germ cells are responsible for disturbed fertility of some transgenic animals. This investigation was performed to evaluate the differentiation capacity and the function of differentiated Bone Marrow Stem Cells (BMSCs) into PGCs using Static Magnetic Field (SMF) (4mT) and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP-4) (25 ng/ml) after transplantation to azoospermia rat. Suspension of the differentiated BMSCs was injected to the left testis of each of the recipient rat in three groups including: (i) control group (no SMF, no BMP-4), (ii) BMP-4 group (BMP-4 for 96 h, no SMF) and (iii) BMP-4 + SMF group (BMP-4 for 96 h and SMF for 48 h). The right testis in transplanted rat was considered as an internal control. The evaluated parameters were testicular mass weight, number of sperm in epididymis ducts and histological evaluation of the recipient’s testes. A significant difference (P≤0.05) in the left testis mass and number of sperm and germ cells (spermatogonia, spermatocyte and spermatid) in epididymis ducts was observed after transplantation of cells in BMP4 and BMP4 + SMF groups in comparison to non-transplanted groups (right testis). For the first times in animal model, our results showed that in a synergistic manner, the combination of SMF with BMP4 exaggerates the differentiation potential of BMSCs to PGCs.
Keywords: Bone Marrow Stem Cell, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4, Differentiation, Primordial Germ Cell, Static Magnetic Field