Effect of administration of a single dose of testosterone oenanthate on constituents of human seminal plasma and serum gonadotropins

The Vehicle Determines the Destination: The Significance of Seminal Plasma Factors for Male Fertility

Of all human infertility cases, up to 50% show contributing factors leading to defects in the male reproductive physiology. Seminal plasma (SP) is the biological fluid derived from the male accessory sex gland which carries spermatozoa passing throughout the male and female reproductive tract during ejaculation. It contains a complicated set of heterogeneous molecular structures, including proteins, cell-free nucleic acid (DNA, microRNA and LncRNA), and small-molecule metabolites as well as inorganic chemicals (ions). For a long time, the substantial significance of seminal plasma factors’ functions has been underestimated, which is restricted to spermatozoa transport and protection. Notably, significant advancements have been made in dissecting seminal plasma components, revealing new insights into multiple aspects of sperm function, as well as fertilization and pregnancy outcomes in recent years. In this review, we summarize the state-of-art discoveries regarding SP compositions and their implications in male fertility, particularly describing the novel understanding of seminal plasma components and related modifications using “omics” approaches and mainly focusing on proteome and RNA-seq data in the latest decade. Meanwhile, we highlighted the proposed mechanism of the regulation of SP molecules on immunomodulation in the female reproductive tract. Moreover, we also discussed the proteins investigated as non-invasive diagnosis biomarkers for male infertility in the clinic.

Use of clomiphene citrate in the treatment of men with high sperm chromatin stability

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether improvements of the seminal vesicle function after a 5-day course with clomiphene citrate (CC) may reduce the prevalence of men with high sperm chromatin stability under conditions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).

DESIGN

A prospective study.

SETTING

Andrology laboratory at the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.

PATIENT(S)

Forty-one male partners of infertile couples attending the andrology laboratory.

INTERVENTION(S)

Clomiphene citrate was administered orally twice a day. Men were treated with CC at 100 mg daily for 5 days. Blood and semen samples were collected before treatment and 24 hours after the last administration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Serum testosterone, seminal fructose, sperm motility, sperm chromatin stability after SDS and EDTA, and prevalence of high sperm chromatin stability.

RESULT(S)

The percentage of stable sperm after SDS-EDTA correlated inversely with the basal corrected concentration of seminal fructose (-1.77 +/- 0.89, beta +/- SE). High sperm chromatin stability was observed in 53.8% of the study population and in 66.7% of patients with hypofunction of the seminal vesicles. In those men whose seminal vesicle function improved after treatment with CC, the prevalence of high sperm chromatin stability was reduced from 67% to 25% (chi2 = 5.34). Logistic regression analysis showed that the higher the basal corrected seminal fructose levels and the higher the basal serum testosterone levels, the lower the probability of nonresponse of the sperm chromatin stability to treatment with CC (0.54 +/- 0.15, odds ratio +/- SE for corrected fructose; and 0.50 +/- 0.15, odds ratio +/- SE for serum testosterone).

CONCLUSION(S)

Hypofunction of the seminal vesicles was associated with high sperm chromatin stability, and this high sperm chromatin stability under SDS-EDTA conditions may be reduced by treatment with CC.