Bioenergetics of human spermatozoa in patients with testicular germ cell tumours.

In patients with testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT), sperm cryopreservation prior to anti-cancer treatment represents the main fertility preservation approach. However, it is associated with low sperm recovery rate after thawing. Since sperm is a high-energy demanding cell, which is supplied by glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mitochondrial dysfunctionality can directly result in sperm anomalies.