Studying Spermatogenesis by using In vivo and In vitro Models: Advantages and Disadvantages of these Models for Practical use

Many experimental animal models are available for analyzing the process of spermatogenesis, including transgenic animals and strains that inherently lack spermatogenesis [2,3]. In contrast, several experimental systems for inducing spermatogenesis in vitro or in vivo have only been developed in recent decades [4-10] for use as tools for studying the fundamental aspects of spermatogenesis and as an option for preserving genetic material obtained from males when sperm recovery is impossible, for example, from rare and endangered species [11] and immature cancer patients [12]. Furthermore, these systems are useful for studying toxic or irradiation effects on germ cells.