Recovery of fertility after grafting of cryopreserved germinative tissue in female rabbits following radiotherapy

BACKGROUND: Many cancer survivors face infertility as a consequence of the aggressive treatment they must undergo. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue before chemotherapy or radiotherapy may allow for tissue transplantation after the treatment, and restoration of fertility. We tested the potential of an orthotopic autografting of cryopreserved germinative tissue in female rabbits with ovarian failure following radiotherapy. METHODS: Ten adult multiparous female rabbits were randomly allocated into two groups, five in group I (control) and five in group II (transplant). All rabbits underwent right oophorectomy with cryopreservation of the germinative tissue, followed by sterilization of the remaining left ovary by radiotherapy. Later, group II rabbits received in the irradiated left ovary an implant of the frozen germinative tissue from the right ovary, whose small pieces were freely spread intracortically in a procedure we named ‘intracortical sowing of germinative tissue’ (ISGT). RESULTS: All group II rabbits conceived following spontaneous mating within 6 months of the transplant, whereas none of the remaining rabbits in group I had conceived up to 11 months after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that fertility can be restored in rabbits by sowing cortical tissue in a previously irradiated ovary. The clinical feasibility of this technique remains to be determined.