Blood-derived exosomes could protect male fertility during cancer treatment
image: Microscopy images show sperm appearance in three groups: (A) healthy controls with normal sperm, (B) cisplatin-treated mice with abnormal sperm, and (C) cisplatin-exosome-treated mice with recovered normal sperm.
Credit: Khani Hemmatabadi, Fuzieh; Partovyan, Marya; Chavoshinezhad, Negin; Keivan, Mona; Dadfar, Reza; Moradi Maryamneghari, Shima; Mansouri Torghabeh, Fatemeh.
A new study suggests that nanosized biological particles found in blood, known as exosomes, may help shield male fertility from the damaging effects of a widely used chemotherapy drug.
Cisplatin is a cornerstone treatment for many cancers but can cause serious inflammation of the testes, or orchitis, which reduces sperm production and disrupts hormone balance. Seeking a potential solution, researchers from several Iranian medical universities tested whether exosomes extracted from blood serum could repair this damage.
Exosomes are microscopic vesicles released by cells that carry proteins, genetic material, and chemical signals between cells. They are increasingly recognized for their role in controlling inflammation and promoting tissue repair.
The study, published in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, involved three groups of male mice: healthy controls, mice treated with cisplatin, and mice treated with cisplatin followed by exosome therapy. After five days of cisplatin injections, the third group received a single injection of blood-derived exosomes directly into the testes.
When the researchers examined the mice one week later, they found that cisplatin had sharply reduced sperm count and movement, lowered testosterone levels, increased oxidative stress, triggered inflammation-related genes, and damaged testicular tissue.
In contrast, the mice that received exosome treatment showed marked improvements. Sperm count and motility returned close to normal, testosterone levels rose, oxidative stress and inflammation decreased, and tissue structure appeared healthier.
“These findings suggest that blood-derived exosomes may offer a novel way to protect reproductive health in cancer patients undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy,” the authors note.
While the research is still at an early, animal-testing stage, the team suggests that future studies should explore exosomes from other sources, such as stem cells, and eventually evaluate their safety and effectiveness in human patients.