Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42703367›Full record

ArticleIranian journal of basic medical sciences2026

Modular 3D culture platform combining methylcellulose, testicular ECM, and Sertoli cells for

Narjes Feizollahi, Ehsan Heidarian, Mehdi Forouzesh, Maryam Salem, Soheil Kianirad, Nasrin Ghanami Gashti, Masoome Jabarpour, Rasool Setareyi, Ayob Jabari, Farnaz Khadivi and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Iranian journal of basic medical sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Narjes FeizollahiDepartment of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ehsan HeidarianUrology and Nephrology Research Center, Research Institute for Urology and Nephrology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi ForouzeshLegal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam SalemResearch Laboratory for Embryology and Stem Cells, Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
Soheil KianiradDepartment of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Nasrin Ghanami GashtiBernal Institute and School of Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Masoome JabarpourDepartment of Infertility, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Rasool SetareyiDepartment of Life Science Engineering, Faculty of New Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Ayob JabariDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Molud Infertility Treatment Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Farnaz KhadiviDepartment of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Morteza KorujiStem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad NajiUrology and Nephrology Research Center, Research Institute for Urology and Nephrology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi AbbasiDepartment of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to develop and characterize a 3D culture platform combining methylcellulose (MC) with decellularized testicular extracellular matrix (ECM) and Sertoli cell co-culture to support human spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) survival and differentiation. Materials and Methods: Human testicular cells were isolated and characterized by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Sheep testicular tissue was decellularized using detergents and characterized by several histology techniques. ECM was solubilized and mixed with MC at various ratios to make hybrid hydrogels. Hydrogels were characterized for pore size, porosity, mechanical properties, gelation kinetics, and degradation kinetics using scanning electron microscopy, rheological analysis, turbidity analysis, and mass loss assays. Human SSCs and Sertoli cells were cultured in 3D hydrogels for four weeks under differentiation conditions. Cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay, and gene expression of SSC, meiotic, post-meiotic, and apoptotic markers was evaluated by RT-PCR. Results: After four weeks of proliferation, PLZF-positive cells increased from 19% to 73%. Decellularization reduced DNA content by 96% while preserving key matrix components. Hybrid hydrogels displayed interconnected porous structures with pore sizes of about 65-181 µm. All functional hydrogels supported cell viability; however, ECM-rich hydrogels significantly up-regulated PRM2 compared to 2D controls, indicating enhanced post-meiotic differentiation. MC-only scaffolds displayed elevated pro-apoptotic BAX expression compared to ECM-rich matrices, suggesting that bioactive ECM ligands confer cytoprotection. Conclusion: The modular MC/ECM hybrid hydrogel provides a tunable, physiologically relevant 3D culture system that is superior to conventional approaches in supporting SSC maintenance and differentiation, offering promise for fertility preservation strategies.

Indexed as

Cell differentiationDecellularized extracellular - matrixGermline adult stem cellsHydrogelsMethylcelluloseSertoli cells

Identifiers

PMID42703367
PMCPMC13546487

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