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Frontiers in Bioscience (Elite Edition) Jan 2013The prevalence of semen hyperviscosity (SHV) is estimated to be between 12-29% and can lead to male factor infertility both in vivo and in vitro. Semen is composed of... (Review)
Review
The prevalence of semen hyperviscosity (SHV) is estimated to be between 12-29% and can lead to male factor infertility both in vivo and in vitro. Semen is composed of fluids secreted by the male accessory glands, which contain proteins essential to the coagulation and liquefaction of semen. Hypofunction of the prostate or seminal vesicles causes abnormal viscosity of seminal fluid. Infection and high levels of seminal leukocytes may also result in the development of SHV. Oxidative stress and biochemical and genetic factors can furthermore contribute to this condition. Hyperviscosity can impair normal sperm movement in the female reproductive tract, and can lead to decreased sperm count. SHV is treated with a hypodermic needle, mucolytic enzymes, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents in certain cases. Further research is needed to better understand the contributors to SHV and the treatments that can be used for infertile males with hyperviscous semen.
Topics: Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Prostatic Diseases; Semen; Seminal Vesicles; Viscosity
PubMed: 23276984
DOI: 10.2741/e610 -
Physiological Reviews Jul 2017Estrogens have historically been associated with female reproduction, but work over the last two decades established that estrogens and their main nuclear receptors... (Review)
Review
Estrogens have historically been associated with female reproduction, but work over the last two decades established that estrogens and their main nuclear receptors (ESR1 and ESR2) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) also regulate male reproductive and nonreproductive organs. 17β-Estradiol (E2) is measureable in blood of men and males of other species, but in rete testis fluids, E2 reaches concentrations normally found only in females and in some species nanomolar concentrations of estrone sulfate are found in semen. Aromatase, which converts androgens to estrogens, is expressed in Leydig cells, seminiferous epithelium, and other male organs. Early studies showed E2 binding in numerous male tissues, and ESR1 and ESR2 each show unique distributions and actions in males. Exogenous estrogen treatment produced male reproductive pathologies in laboratory animals and men, especially during development, and studies with transgenic mice with compromised estrogen signaling demonstrated an E2 role in normal male physiology. Efferent ductules and epididymal functions are dependent on estrogen signaling through ESR1, whose loss impaired ion transport and water reabsorption, resulting in abnormal sperm. Loss of ESR1 or aromatase also produces effects on nonreproductive targets such as brain, adipose, skeletal muscle, bone, cardiovascular, and immune tissues. Expression of GPER is extensive in male tracts, suggesting a possible role for E2 signaling through this receptor in male reproduction. Recent evidence also indicates that membrane ESR1 has critical roles in male reproduction. Thus estrogens are important physiological regulators in males, and future studies may reveal additional roles for estrogen signaling in various target tissues.
Topics: Animals; Aromatase; Estrogens; Genitalia, Male; Genotype; Humans; Male; Mice, Knockout; Mutation; Phenotype; Prostate; Prostatic Diseases; Receptors, Estrogen; Reproduction; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 28539434
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00018.2016 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... May 2018The human and murine prostate glands have similar functional roles in the generation of seminal fluid to assist in reproduction. There are significant differences in the... (Review)
Review
The human and murine prostate glands have similar functional roles in the generation of seminal fluid to assist in reproduction. There are significant differences in the anatomy and histology of murine and human prostate and knowledge of the normal anatomy and histology of the murine prostate is essential to interpreting changes in genetically engineered mouse models. In this review, the normal anatomy and histology of both human and mouse prostate will be described.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Male; Mice; Models, Animal; Prostate
PubMed: 29038334
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a030346 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Prostatitis is a common urological condition that affects almost half of all men at some point in their life. The prostate gland has a dense nerve supply that... (Review)
Review
Prostatitis is a common urological condition that affects almost half of all men at some point in their life. The prostate gland has a dense nerve supply that contributes to the production of fluid to nourish sperm and the mechanism to switch between urination and ejaculation. Prostatitis can cause frequent urination, pelvic pain, and even infertility. Long-term prostatitis increases the risk of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis presents a complex pathogenesis, which has challenged medical research. Experimental studies of prostatitis require appropriate preclinical models. This review aimed to summarize and compare preclinical models of prostatitis based on their methods, success rate, evaluation, and range of application. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of prostatitis and advance basic research.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatitis; Semen; Pelvic Pain; Prostate; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 37228599
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1183895 -
Cell Reports Dec 2021The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with...
The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with limited treatment efficacy in castration-resistant metastatic disease, including with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing to perform an unbiased assessment of the cellular landscape of human prostate, we identify a subset of tumor-enriched androgen receptor-negative luminal epithelial cells with increased expression of cancer-associated genes. We also find a variety of innate and adaptive immune cells in normal prostate that were transcriptionally perturbed in prostate cancer. An exception is a prostate-specific, zinc transporter-expressing macrophage population (MAC-MT) that contributes to tissue zinc accumulation in homeostasis but shows enhanced inflammatory gene expression in tumors, including T cell-recruiting chemokines. Remarkably, enrichment of the MAC-MT signature in cancer biopsies is associated with improved disease-free survival, suggesting beneficial antitumor functions.
Topics: Aged; Animals; Epithelial Cells; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Macrophages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Middle Aged; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; RNA-Seq; Receptors, Androgen; Single-Cell Analysis; Transcriptome; Zinc
PubMed: 34936871
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110132 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... Jul 2018The prostate is a male exocrine gland that secretes components of the seminal fluid. In men, prostate tumors are one of the most prevalent cancers. Studies on the... (Review)
Review
The prostate is a male exocrine gland that secretes components of the seminal fluid. In men, prostate tumors are one of the most prevalent cancers. Studies on the development of the prostate have given a better understanding of the processes and genes that are important in the formation of this organ and have provided insights into the mechanisms of prostate tumorigenesis. These developmental studies have provided evidence that some of the genes and signaling pathways involved in development are reactivated or deregulated during prostate cancer. The prostate goes through a number of different stages during organogenesis, which include organ specification, epithelial budding, branching morphogenesis, canalization, and cytodifferentiation. During development, these processes are tightly regulated, many of which are controlled by the male hormone androgens. The majority of prostate tumors remain hormone regulated, and antiandrogen therapy is a first-line therapy, highlighting the important link between prostate organogenesis and cancer. In this review, we describe some of the data on genes that have important roles during prostate development that also have strong evidence linking them to prostate cancer.
Topics: Animals; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; Cell Differentiation; Fibroblast Growth Factors; Humans; Male; Mice; Models, Animal; Organogenesis; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Receptors, Androgen; SOX9 Transcription Factor; Signal Transduction; Testosterone
PubMed: 29229667
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a030353 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2022The role of endocrine disruptors (EDs) in the human prostate gland is an overlooked issue even though the prostate is essential for male fertility. From experimental... (Review)
Review
The role of endocrine disruptors (EDs) in the human prostate gland is an overlooked issue even though the prostate is essential for male fertility. From experimental models, it is known that EDs can influence several molecular mechanisms involved in prostate homeostasis and diseases, including prostate cancer (PCa), one of the most common cancers in the male, whose onset and progression is characterized by the deregulation of several cellular pathways including androgen receptor (AR) signaling. The prostate gland essentiality relies on its function to produce and secrete the prostatic fluid, a component of the seminal fluid, needed to keep alive and functional sperms upon ejaculation. In physiological condition, in the prostate epithelium the more-active androgen, the 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), formed from testosterone (T) by the 5α-reductase enzyme (SRD5A), binds to AR and, upon homodimerization and nuclear translocation, recognizes the promoter of target genes modulating them. In pathological conditions, AR mutations and/or less specific AR binding by ligands modulate differently targeted genes leading to an altered regulation of cell proliferation and triggering PCa onset and development. EDs acting on the AR-dependent signaling within the prostate gland can contribute to the PCa onset and to exacerbating its development.
Topics: Animals; Endocrine Disruptors; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms; Receptors, Androgen
PubMed: 35163140
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031216 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) 2005Hemospermia refers to the presence of blood in the seminal fluid and is not very common urologic symptom. Its prevalence remains unknown. Historically, hemospermia was... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Hemospermia refers to the presence of blood in the seminal fluid and is not very common urologic symptom. Its prevalence remains unknown. Historically, hemospermia was linked to excessive sexual overindulgence, prolonged sexual abstinence, interrupted coitus. Newer imaging modalities have altered the diagnosis and etiological factors of hemospermia are now more frequently identified. Hemospermia can result from many causes. Infections or inflammatory disorders account from 39% to 55% of cases, malignancies and trauma account just 4-13%. The remaining 11% of cases were caused by a variety of other pathologic conditions. Predisposing diseases are prostatitis, epididymitis, urinary stones, tuberculosis, cirrhosis of the liver, arterial hypertension, hematologic diseases. In 30-70% of the cases there is no association with any significant pathology. Cases of primary and solitary hemospermia can be adequately assessed by urinanalysis, blood pressure measurement, genital and rectal examination, PSA-test, and reassurance of the patient. Persistent and recurrent cases of hemospermia are best clarified by transrectal ultrasound examination, cystoscopy, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment depends on the diagnostic findings but often simply involves reassurance.
Topics: Adult; Algorithms; Cystoscopy; Diagnosis, Differential; Ejaculation; Epididymitis; Hemospermia; Humans; Hypertension; Liver Cirrhosis; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatitis; Recurrence; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ultrasonography; Urinary Calculi
PubMed: 15864011
DOI: No ID Found