A histomorphometric and cytogenetic study of testis from men 29-102 years old

Objective: To evaluate the influence of aging on testicular histology and the aneuploidy rate in testis postmeiotic cells. Design: Comparison between older men and younger men. Setting: Deceased donors and patients who requested assisted reproductive technology (ART). Patient(s): Thirty-six older men (61-102 years old) and 10 younger men (29-40 years old). Intervention(s): testes were obtained from 35 deceased donors, and testicular biopsies were obtained from 11 patients who requested ART. Main Outcome Measure(s): Histomorphometry of testis and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), with a three-probe set X, Y, and 18. Result(s): The histomorphometric study showed a thickening of the basal membrane when spermatogenesis was arrested. The number of germinal and Sertoli cells decreased as age increased. The rate of aneuploidy of postmeiotic cells was 1. 1% for the control group, 1.29% for older subjects with preserved spermatogenesis, and 14.28% for the subjects with an arrested spermiogenesis. Only this last figure was higher than the control group. Conclusion(s): The rate of aneuploidy in older subjects (61-95 years old) with preserved spermatogenesis was not statistically different from that found in the control group; it was increased in older subjects with arrested spermatogenesis.