Rapamycin co-exposure fails to reduce cisplatin-induced damage in GC6-spg spermatogonial cell line

Fertility preservation of boys undergoing cancer treatment remains an important clinical consideration given the risk of long-term infertility. Spermatogonial stem cells, essential for spermatogenesis during adulthood, are sensitive to gonadotoxic chemotherapy. Current fertility preservation strategies include testicular tissue cryopreservation before treatment for future use to restore fertility; however, approaches to protect spermatogonia from chemotherapy-induced damage remain limited. Lay summary In the UK, every day about five children receive a diagnosis of cancer. Although the majority (over 80%) will survive, some will become infertile depending on the severity of the treatment received during childhood. Currently, there are no medical treatments available to protect male fertility. This study assessed if rapamycin, a drug currently used to treat other medical conditions, that has been shown in experimental studies to help protect female fertility from cancer treatment, could be used to protect male fertility. Results showed that rapamycin did not prevent overall loss and damage of the cells that will develop into sperm. Further studies are needed to find medical strategies to preserve young boys’ fertility.