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International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2020Several studies proposed the importance of zinc ion in male fertility. Here, we describe the properties, roles and cellular mechanisms of action of Zn in spermatozoa,... (Review)
Review
Several studies proposed the importance of zinc ion in male fertility. Here, we describe the properties, roles and cellular mechanisms of action of Zn in spermatozoa, focusing on its involvement in sperm motility, capacitation and acrosomal exocytosis, three functions that are crucial for successful fertilization. The impact of zinc supplementation on assisted fertilization techniques is also described. The impact of zinc on sperm motility has been investigated in many vertebrate and invertebrate species. It has been reported that Zn in human seminal plasma decreases sperm motility and that Zn removal enhances motility. Reduction in the intracellular concentration of Zn during epididymal transit allows the development of progressive motility and the subsequent hyper activated motility during sperm capacitation. Extracellular Zn affects intracellular signaling pathways through its interaction with the Zn sensing receptor (ZnR), also named GPR39. This receptor was found in the sperm tail and the acrosome, suggesting the possible involvement of Zn in sperm motility and acrosomal exocytosis. Our studies showed that Zn stimulates bovine sperm acrosomal exocytosis, as well as human sperm hyper-activated motility, were both mediated by GPR39. Zn binds and activates GPR39, which activates the trans-membrane-adenylyl-cyclase (tmAC) to catalyze cAMP production. The NHE (Na/H-exchanger) is activated by cAMP, leading in increased pHi and activation of the sperm-specific Ca channel CatSper, resulting in an increase in [Ca], which, together with HCO, activates the soluble adenylyl-cyclase (sAC). The increase in [cAMP] activates protein kinase A (PKA), followed by activation of the Src-epidermal growth factor receptor-Pphospholipase C (Src-EGFR-PLC) cascade, resulting in inositol-triphosphate (IP) production, which mobilizes Ca from the acrosome, causing a further increase in [Ca] and the development of hyper-activated motility. PKA also activates phospholipase D1 (PLD1), leading to F-actin formation during capacitation. Prior to the acrosomal exocytosis, PLC induces phosphadidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP) hydrolysis, leading to the release of the actin-severing protein gelsolin to the cytosol, which is activated by Ca, resulting in F-actin breakdown and the occurrence of acrosomal exocytosis.
Topics: Acrosome; Animals; Fertility; Humans; Male; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; Sperm Capacitation; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Zinc
PubMed: 33096823
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207796 -
The Journal of Urology Oct 2019With cannabis consumption on the rise and use prominent among males of reproductive age it is essential to understand the potential impact of cannabis on male fertility....
PURPOSE
With cannabis consumption on the rise and use prominent among males of reproductive age it is essential to understand the potential impact of cannabis on male fertility. We reviewed the literature regarding the effects of cannabis on male fertility.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We performed a literature search using PubMed®/MEDLINE® to identify relevant studies of the effects of cannabis on male fertility. Relevant studies were identified and reviewed.
RESULTS
The strongest evidence of cannabis induced alterations in male fertility is in the category of semen parameters. Research supports a role for cannabis in reducing sperm count and concentration, inducing abnormalities in sperm morphology, reducing sperm motility and viability, and inhibiting capacitation and fertilizing capacity. Animal models demonstrate a role for cannabis in testicular atrophy, and reduced libido and sexual function but to our knowledge these results have not yet been replicated in human studies. Studies of hormonal changes suggest inconclusive effects on testosterone levels, lowered luteinizing hormone levels and unchanged follicle-stimulating hormone levels.
CONCLUSIONS
Current research suggests that cannabis may negatively impact male fertility. Further studies are needed to validate that robust findings in animal models will carry over into human experience. Clinicians should be aware of these potential effects when prescribing medical marijuana therapies to men of reproductive age, and they should consider the degree of cannabis use as a possible component of a complete male infertility workup.
Topics: Animals; Cell Survival; Disease Models, Animal; Fertility; Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Medical Marijuana; Semen; Sperm Motility; Testis
PubMed: 30916627
DOI: 10.1097/JU.0000000000000248 -
Science Advances Oct 2022Centrosomal protein dysfunction might cause ciliopathies. However, the role of centrosomal proteins in male infertility remains poorly defined. Here, we identified a...
Centrosomal protein dysfunction might cause ciliopathies. However, the role of centrosomal proteins in male infertility remains poorly defined. Here, we identified a pathogenic splicing mutation in in male infertile patients with severely reduced sperm number and motility, and the typical multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella phenotype. We further created knockout mice, which showed an extremely low sperm count, completely aberrant sperm morphology, and approximately null sperm motility. The infertility of the patients and knockout mice could not be rescued by an intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment. Mechanistically, CEP78 might regulate USP16 expression, which further stabilizes Tektin levels via the ubiquitination pathway. knockout mice also exhibited impairments in retina and outer hair cells of the cochlea. Collectively, our findings identified nonfunctional CEP78 as an indispensable factor contributing to male infertility and revealed a role for this gene in regulating retinal and outer hair cell function in mice.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Male; Mice; Cell Cycle Proteins; Infertility, Male; Mice, Knockout; Mutation; Semen; Sperm Motility; Sperm Tail; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 36206347
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn0968 -
International Journal For Vitamin and... Oct 2020Research conducted in recent years provides more and more evidence that diet can have a significant impact on male fertility. The aim of the study was to analyze the... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research conducted in recent years provides more and more evidence that diet can have a significant impact on male fertility. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between diet, energy balance and fertility in men. A comprehensive literature search of published studies in various languages, was carried out in electronic databases. The direct analysis included 96 works published between 2008 and 2018, including 12 randomized controlled trials and 23 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A strong adherence to a healthy dietary pattern is positively correlated with total sperm count, progressive motility and total motile sperm count (all p < 0.05). However, attention is drawn to the fact that foods that are considered "healthy" can sometimes contain a significant amount of pollution, which negatively affect the semen parameters. An adequate intake of antioxidants or their supplementation have been quite effective in the prevention and treatment of male infertility. The improvement of pregnancy rate after antioxidant therapy ranged in various studies from 11% to 41%. An important problem, however, may be choosing the right dose of the supplement or finding an appropriate combination of antioxidants that may be more effective than any single antioxidant. The normalization of men's body weight is beneficial for the quality of sperm and the concentration of male reproductive hormones. Further, long-term studies require the assessment of the impact of drastic weight loss after bariatric surgery on male fertility.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Female; Fertility; Humans; Infertility, Male; Language; Male; Pregnancy; Semen Analysis; Sperm Count; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 30967104
DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000577 -
Gut Jan 2021
Topics: Alginates; Animals; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; Male; Mice; Oligosaccharides; Sperm Count; Sperm Motility; Spermatogenesis
PubMed: 32303608
DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-320992 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2021The declining reproductive viability of corals threatens their ability to adapt to changing ocean conditions. It is vital that we monitor this viability quantitatively...
The declining reproductive viability of corals threatens their ability to adapt to changing ocean conditions. It is vital that we monitor this viability quantitatively and comparatively. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) systems offer in-depth analysis used regularly for domestic and wildlife species, but not yet for coral. This study proposes quality control procedures and CASA settings that are effective for coral sperm analysis. To resolve disparities between CASA measurements and evaluations by eye, two negative effects on motility had to be resolved, slide adhesion (procedural) and sperm dilution (biological). We showed that the addition of bovine serum albumin, or caffeine, or both to fresh sperm reduced adhesion in the CASA cassettes, improved motility and motile sperm concentration (P < 0.0001), yet these additions did not affect measurements of total sperm concentration. Diluting coral sperm reduced sperm motility (P = 0.039), especially from heat-stressed corals. We found CASA concentration counts comparable to haemocytometer and flow cytometer measures (P = 0.54). We also found that motile sperm per egg is a useful predictor of fertilisation success, using cryopreserved sperm. Standard measurements of coral reproductive characteristics inform our understanding of the impacts of climate change on reef populations; this study provides a benchmark to begin this comparative work.
Topics: Animals; Anthozoa; Male; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 33420097
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79732-x -
In Vivo (Athens, Greece) 2022The microminipig is a relatively new type of mini pig; microminipigs weigh about 10 kg at 6 months of age and are expected to be of use in drug discovery research and...
BACKGROUND/AIM
The microminipig is a relatively new type of mini pig; microminipigs weigh about 10 kg at 6 months of age and are expected to be of use in drug discovery research and safety tests. Herein, we analyzed the characteristics of ejaculated sperm from microminipigs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sperm parameters such as microstructure and sensitivity to cold shock were investigated using optical or scanning electron microscopy.
RESULTS
Ejaculate volumes and total numbers of sperm were lower than in standard pig strains, but were proportional to body weight. Ejaculation time, pH of the ejaculate, sperm motility and morphology, and sensitivity to cold shock were similar to those of standard pig strains.
CONCLUSION
Herein, we provide the first characterization of the ejaculates of microminipigs and demonstrate that this type of pig will be useful not only in medical research, but also in investigations into sperm preservation in different pig breeds.
Topics: Animals; Ejaculation; Male; Semen Preservation; Sperm Count; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Swine; Swine, Miniature
PubMed: 35241528
DOI: 10.21873/invivo.12759 -
Animal Reproduction Science Dec 2022In this review, we discuss the physiology of mitochondrial function in sperm using a comparative species approach. Mitochondria impart the ability for sperm from... (Review)
Review
In this review, we discuss the physiology of mitochondrial function in sperm using a comparative species approach. Mitochondria impart the ability for sperm from internal fertilizing species to attain individual motility and the ability to navigate the female reproductive tract to the site of fertilization. The presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a normal physiological event of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC); however, when excessive leakage of ROS occurs, sperm damage may follow. ROS production is associated with high levels of sperm motility but must be delicately balanced to prevent cellular damage during post-ejaculatory transport events. We discuss the differences in fundamental oxygen and ATP substrate balance in three mammalian species of veterinary importance, with an emphasis on ETC function, ROS production, and the balance of glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation production of ATP in sperm.
Topics: Male; Female; Animals; Sperm Motility; Reactive Oxygen Species; Semen; Spermatozoa; Mammals; Oxidative Stress; Adenosine Triphosphate
PubMed: 36272255
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.107095 -
Communications Biology Sep 2022Understanding the organisational principles of sperm motility has both evolutionary and applied impact. The emergence of computer aided systems in this field came with...
Understanding the organisational principles of sperm motility has both evolutionary and applied impact. The emergence of computer aided systems in this field came with the promise of automated quantification and classification, potentially improving our understanding of the determinants of reproductive success. Yet, nowadays the relationship between sperm variability and fertility remains unclear. Here, we characterize pig sperm motility using t-SNE, an embedding method adequate to study behavioural variability. T-SNE reveals a hierarchical organization of sperm motility across ejaculates and individuals, enabling accurate fertility predictions by means of Bayesian logistic regression. Our results show that sperm motility features, like high-speed and straight-lined motion, correlate positively with fertility and are more relevant than other sources of variability. We propose the combined use of embedding methods with Bayesian inference frameworks in order to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between fertility and sperm motility in animals, including humans.
Topics: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Fertility; Humans; Male; Semen; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Swine
PubMed: 36171267
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03954-0 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Apr 2022Sperm motility is a significant predictor of male fertility potential and is directly linked to fertilization success in both natural and some forms of assisted...
Sperm motility is a significant predictor of male fertility potential and is directly linked to fertilization success in both natural and some forms of assisted reproduction. Sperm motility can be impaired by both genetic and environmental factors, with asthenozoospermia being a common clinical presentation. Moreover, in the setting of assisted reproductive technology clinics, there is a distinct absence of effective and noninvasive technology to increase sperm motility without detriment to the sperm cells. Here, a new method is presented to boost sperm motility by increasing the intracellular rate of metabolic activity using high frequency ultrasound. An increase of 34% in curvilinear velocity (VCL), 10% in linearity, and 32% in the number of motile sperm cells is shown by rendering immotile sperm motile, after just 20 s exposure. A similar effect with an increase of 15% in VCL treating human sperm with the same setting is also identified. This cell level mechanotherapy approach causes no significant change in cell viability or DNA fragmentation index, and, as such, has the potential to be applied to encourage natural fertilization or less invasive treatment choices such as in vitro fertilization rather than intracytoplasmic injection.
Topics: Animals; Asthenozoospermia; Cattle; Fertilization in Vitro; Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 35419997
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104362