新一期英國《自然》雜志刊登報告說,，日本研究人員成功在試管中培育出實驗鼠的精子，可以使雌性實驗鼠受孕并產(chǎn)下后代,，這一成果將有助于研究和治療男性不育等病癥,。
日本橫濱市立大學(xué)等機(jī)構(gòu)研究人員報告說，他們試圖在試管中培養(yǎng)來自年幼雄性實驗鼠的睪丸組織,，在多次嘗試之后,，最終找到合適的培養(yǎng)介質(zhì)，睪丸組織可以在其中生長并最終形成精子,。隨后的實驗顯示,，這些精子可以通過人工授精技術(shù)使雌性實驗鼠受孕。目前,，受孕的雌性實驗鼠已產(chǎn)下12只小鼠,。
此前已有許多人工培育哺乳動物精子的相關(guān)研究,，但這些研究不是沒有培育出完整的精子，就是沒有證明這些精子具有正常的生成后代的能力,。英國紐卡斯?fàn)柎髮W(xué)研究人員曾在2009年報告說,，他們利用胚胎干細(xì)胞在試管中培育出人類精子，但論文后來被撤銷,。
本次研究使用的是年幼雄性實驗鼠的睪丸組織,，并且實驗證實將這些組織冷凍一段時間后也可以成功培育出精子。因此,，如果能將這項技術(shù)應(yīng)用于人類,，可以幫助那些在年幼時因病喪失生育功能的男孩保存睪丸組織，在他們成年后利用冷凍保存的組織來培育自己的精子并用于生育后代,。
此外,，這項研究也有助于理解精子的生成過程，從而幫助尋找更多的治療男性不育的方法,。相關(guān)技術(shù)也許還可以用于幫助一些珍稀動物的繁衍,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Nature doi:10.1038/nature09850
In vitro production of functional sperm in cultured neonatal mouse testes
Takuya Sato,1 Kumiko Katagiri,1 Ayako Gohbara,1 Kimiko Inoue,2 Narumi Ogonuki,2 Atsuo Ogura,2 Yoshinobu Kubota1 & Takehiko Ogawa1, 3
Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex and longest processes of sequential cell proliferation and differentiation in the body, taking more than a month from spermatogonial stem cells, through meiosis, to sperm formation1, 2. The whole process, therefore, has never been reproduced in vitro in mammals3, 4, 5, nor in any other species with a very few exceptions in some particular types of fish6, 7. Here we show that neonatal mouse testes which contain only gonocytes or primitive spermatogonia as germ cells can produce spermatids and sperm in vitro with serum-free culture media. Spermatogenesis was maintained over 2?months in tissue fragments positioned at the gas–liquid interphase. The obtained spermatids and sperm resulted in healthy and reproductively competent offspring through microinsemination. In addition, neonatal testis tissues were cryopreserved and, after thawing, showed complete spermatogenesis in vitro. Our organ culture method could be applicable through further refinements to a variety of mammalian species, which will serve as a platform for future clinical application as well as mechanistic understanding of spermatogenesis.
