P-374 Preserving potential: evaluating transport media in ovarian tissue cryopreservation
Authors: Safrai M , Zielen A  C , Orwig K  E 
Published: July 2024

Study question

Which transport media best preserves ovarian tissue quality during overnight transport from the procurement site to the cryopreservation center for fertility preservation?

Summary answer

Buffered transport media, Oncofertility Consortium (OFC) holding medium, ORIGIO® Handling, or Custodiol® HTK preserved ovarian tissue better than non-buffered Ringer’s lactate.

What is known already

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is the recommended mode of fertility preservation for prepubertal girls and is also used in certain adult patients. However, not every center offers cryopreservation services. Resulting in either costly and sometimes unfeasible patient travel or the overnight transportation of ovarian tissue to centralized processing center. Despite the high volume of samples processed and shipped to cryopreservation centers, current knowledge of the optimal transport media for ovarian tissues for fertility preservation is limited.

Study design, size, duration

To simulate a 24-hour shipping period, ovarian tissues from three adult organ donors were maintained for 24 hours at 4 °C in four distinct media: OFC holding media, Ringer’s Lactate, ORIGIO® Handling media, and Custodiol® HTK Solution. Samples were then cryopreserved and thawed. Tissue quality was assessed through histological evaluations and immunohistochemistry.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

To simulate a 24-hour shipping period, ovarian tissues from three adult organ donors were maintained for 24 hours at 4 °C in four distinct media: OFC holding media, Ringer’s Lactate, ORIGIO® Handling media, and Custodiol® HTK Solution. Samples were then cryopreserved and thawed. Tissue quality was assessed through histological evaluations and immunohistochemistry.

Main results and the role of chance

Eight conditions were compared to the control, which was analyzed upon receipt, including tissue following incubation in four distinct transport media with or without cryopreservation. The histological comparison of tissue following incubation in different transport media before cryopreservation revealed higher fibrosis in the tissue incubated in Ringer’s Lactate. All the tissue following cryopreservation had a higher fibrosis than the control. The immunohistochemical analysis did not demonstrate any significant differences in the mean percentage of apoptotic (Caspase-3+ and VASA+) oocytes from all (VASA+) oocytes among tissues incubated for 24 hours in different transport media but not cryopreserved. However, after cryopreservation, tissues incubated in Ringer’s Lactate had oocytes that were significantly more apoptotic (74.56%) than the control (P value = 0.0002); while tissues cryopreserved after incubation in OFC Holding Media (43.19%), Custodiol Solution (35.134%), and Origio Handling media (52.13%) were not different from the control (18.86%) group.

Limitations, reasons for caution

A significant limitation in our study is the absence of functional assessment of the tissues, limiting the insights into the complete physiological potential. Additionally, our study was conducted on adult donor tissue, which may not entirely reflect prepubertal ovarian characteristics.

Wider implications of the findings

These findings emphasize the crucial role of selecting the appropriate transport media for ovarian tissue cryopreservation, which could markedly impact fertility preservation outcomes. This research also sets the stage for standardized shipment protocols, enhancing the feasibility and success of ovarian tissue cryopreservation across centers and expanding access to fertility preservation.

Trial registration number

not applicable