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Handelsman DJ, Idan A, Sleiman S, Bacha F, Long GV, Menzies AM, Vaishnav T, Litkouhi N, Volckmar X, Ledger W, Anazodo A. Testicular function after non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drug treatment. Andrology 2024; 12:891-898. [PMID: 37889046 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effects of novel non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment on human testicular function have not been studied systematically. OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to characterize effects of non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs in patients with cancers who had not been previously treated with gonadotoxic chemo- or radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study involved 34 men, not previously treated with gonadotoxic regimens, in a mixed longitudinal (Cohort 1: 19 men about to start and approximately 1 year on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) and cross-sectional (Cohort 2: 15 men already on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) study using data modeling to estimate within-person time-course changes in testicular exocrine and endocrine functions. Cohort 1 provided 45 paired semen and blood samples (34 prior to and nine during treatment) and Cohort 2 provided 45 sets of samples (15 pre-treatment, 30 on treatment), including six men in Cohort 2 who had pre-treatment spermatozoa cryostorage prior to the study. Men on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment had undergone a median of 33.5 months long-term treatment. RESULTS Spermatozoa output and concentration were reduced by about 50%, with corresponding increases in serum follicle-stimulating hormone and decreases in serum inhibin B. Serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and sex hormone-binding globulin were unaffected by non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment. CONCLUSION Within limits of the present study of sample size and duration of on-non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment, non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs have a modest effects on testicular exocrine function (sperm production) or its hormonal correlates (follicle-stimulating hormone, inhibin B), with minimal impact on testicular endocrine (testosterone, luteinizing hormone) function.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Handelsman
- Andrology Department and Clinical Andrology Laboratory, Concord Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Amanda Idan
- Andrology Department and Clinical Andrology Laboratory, Concord Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sue Sleiman
- Andrology Department and Clinical Andrology Laboratory, Concord Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Fey Bacha
- Andrology Department and Clinical Andrology Laboratory, Concord Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Georgina V Long
- Melanoma Institute of Australia, University of Sydney, Royal North Shore & Mater Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexander M Menzies
- Melanoma Institute of Australia, University of Sydney, Royal North Shore & Mater Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tejnei Vaishnav
- School of Women's and Childrens Health, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Noosha Litkouhi
- School of Women's and Childrens Health, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Xanthie Volckmar
- School of Women's and Childrens Health, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - William Ledger
- School of Women's and Childrens Health, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Antoinette Anazodo
- School of Women's and Childrens Health, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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2
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Ragosta ME, Traini G, Tamburrino L, Degl'Innocenti S, Fino MG, Dabizzi S, Vignozzi L, Baldi E, Marchiani S. Sperm Chromatin Dispersion Test Detects Sperm DNA Fragmentation Mainly Associated with Unviable Spermatozoa and Underestimates the Values with Respect to TUNEL Assay. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4481. [PMID: 38674066 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Several clinical laboratories assess sperm DNA fragmentation (sDF) in addition to semen analysis in male infertility diagnosis. Among tests evaluating sDF, TUNEL (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) and SCD (Sperm Chromatin Dispersion) are widely used. Our lab developed a modified version of TUNEL (TUNEL/PI) able to distinguish two sperm populations (PI Brighter and PI Dimmer) differently associated with sperm viability and reproductive outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare sDF levels detected by SCD and TUNEL/PI in the semen samples from 71 male subjects attending our Andrology Laboratory. Our results demonstrate that SCD is less sensitive in determining sDF compared to TUNEL/PI. The statistically significant positive correlation found between sDF evaluated by SCD and PI Dimmer (consisting of all dead spermatozoa) suggests that SCD mainly detects sDF in unviable spermatozoa. We confirmed that most spermatozoa detected by SCD are unviable by performing SCD after incubation in hypo-osmotic medium to discriminate viable and unviable cells in 52 samples. Such results might explain the lower ability of this test in discriminating couples having successful ART outcomes demonstrated in published metanalyses. Overall, our results indicate that SCD is less sensitive in evaluating sDF for diagnostic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Emanuela Ragosta
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Traini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Lara Tamburrino
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Selene Degl'Innocenti
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Fino
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Dabizzi
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Linda Vignozzi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Baldi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, Center for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Marchiani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
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Podgrajsek R, Bolha L, Pungert T, Pizem J, Jazbec K, Malicev E, Stimpfel M. Effects of Slow Freezing and Vitrification of Human Semen on Post-Thaw Semen Quality and miRNA Expression. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4157. [PMID: 38673743 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Semen cryopreservation has played an important role in medically assisted reproduction for decades. In addition to preserving male fertility, it is sometimes used for overcoming logistical issues. Despite its proven clinical usability and safety, there is a lack of knowledge of how it affects spermatozoa at the molecular level, especially in terms of non-coding RNAs. Therefore, we conducted this study, where we compared slow freezing and vitrification of good- and poor-quality human semen samples by analyzing conventional sperm quality parameters, performing functional tests and analyzing the expression of miRNAs. The results revealed that cryopreservation of normozoospermic samples does not alter the maturity of spermatozoa (protamine staining, hyaluronan binding), although cryopreservation can increase sperm DNA fragmentation and lower motility. On a molecular level, we revealed that in both types of cryopreservation, miRNAs from spermatozoa are significantly overexpressed compared to those in the native semen of normozoospermic patients, but in oligozoospermic samples, this effect is observed only after vitrification. Moreover, we show that expression of selected miRNAs is mostly overexpressed in native oligozoospermic samples compared to normozoospermic samples. Conversely, when vitrified normozoospermic and oligozoospermic samples were compared, we determined that only miR-99b-5p was significantly overexpressed in oligozoospermic sperm samples, and when comparing slow freezing, only miR-15b-5p and miR-34b-3p were significantly under-expressed in oligozoospermic sperm samples. Therefore, our results imply that cryopreservation of normozoospermic sperm samples can modulate miRNA expression profiles in spermatozoa to become comparable to those in oligozoospermic samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeka Podgrajsek
- Department of Human Reproduction, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Luka Bolha
- Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tjasa Pungert
- Department of Human Reproduction, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Joze Pizem
- Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katerina Jazbec
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Slajmerjeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Elvira Malicev
- Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, Slajmerjeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva ulica 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin Stimpfel
- Department of Human Reproduction, Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Moustakli E, Zikopoulos A, Skentou C, Dafopoulos S, Stavros S, Dafopoulos K, Drakakis P, Georgiou I, Zachariou A. Association of Obesity with Telomere Length in Human Sperm. J Clin Med 2024; 13:2150. [PMID: 38610915 PMCID: PMC11012429 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13072150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Telomere attrition and mitochondrial dysfunction are two fundamental aspects of aging. Calorie restriction (CR) is the best strategy to postpone aging since it can enhance telomere attrition, boost antioxidant capacity, and lower the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since ROS is produced by mitochondria and can readily travel to cell nuclei, it is thought to be a crucial molecule for information transfer between mitochondria and cell nuclei. Important variables that affect the quality and functionality of sperm and may affect male reproductive health and fertility include telomere length, mitochondrial content, and the ratio of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (nDNA). Telomere damage results from mitochondrial failure, whereas nuclear DNA remains unaffected. This research aims to investigate potential associations between these three variables and how they might relate to body mass index. Methods: Data were collected from 82 men who underwent IVF/ICSI at the University Hospital of Ioannina's IVF Unit in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Evaluations included sperm morphology, sperm count, sperm motility, and participant history. To address this, male participants who were categorized into three body mass index (ΒΜΙ) groups-normal, overweight, and obese-had their sperm samples tested. Results: For both the normal and overweight groups, our results show a negative connection between relative telomere length and ΒΜI. As an illustration of a potential connection between mitochondrial health and telomere maintenance, a positive correlation was found for the obese group. Only the obese group's results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). More evidence that longer telomeres are associated with lower mitochondrial content can be found in the negative connection between telomere length and mitochondrial content in both the normal and overweight groups. However, the obese group showed a positive association. The data did not reach statistical significance for any of the three groups. These associations may affect sperm quality since telomere length and mitochondrial concentration are indicators of cellular integrity and health. Moreover, the ratio of mtDNA to nDNA was positively correlated with the relative telomere lengths of the obese group, but negatively correlated with the normal and overweight groups. In every group that was studied, the results were not statistically significant. According to this, male fertility may be negatively impacted by an imbalance in the copy number of the mitochondrial genome compared to the nuclear DNA in sperm. Conclusions: Essentially, the goal of our work is to determine whether mitochondria and telomere length in human sperm interact. Understanding these connections may aid in the explanation of some male infertility causes and possibly contribute to the creation of new treatment modalities for problems pertaining to reproductive health. The functional implications of these connections and their applications in therapeutic settings require further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efthalia Moustakli
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece;
| | - Athanasios Zikopoulos
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Barrack Rd., Exeter EX 25 DW, UK;
| | - Charikleia Skentou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School of Ioannina, University General Hospital, 45110 Ioannina, Greece;
| | - Stefanos Dafopoulos
- Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus;
| | - Sofoklis Stavros
- Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (P.D.)
| | - Konstantinos Dafopoulos
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larissa, Greece;
| | - Peter Drakakis
- Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (P.D.)
| | - Ioannis Georgiou
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece;
| | - Athanasios Zachariou
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Ioannina University, 45110 Ioannina, Greece;
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Karimi-Sabet MJ, Khodaei-Motlagh M, Masoudi R, Sharafi M. Zinc oxide nanoparticles preserve the quality and fertility potential of rooster sperm during the cryopreservation process. Reprod Domest Anim 2024; 59:e14568. [PMID: 38646997 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Sperm cryopreservation is one of the main methods for preserving rooster sperm for artificial insemination (AI) in commercial flocks. Yet, rooster sperm is extremely susceptible to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during the freezing process. Oxidative stress could be prevented by using nanoparticles containing antioxidants. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) in rooster semen freezing extender on quality parameters and fertility potential. For this aim, semen samples were collected and diluted in Lake extenders as follows: control: Lake without ZnONP, ZnO100: Lake with 100-μg zinc oxide (ZnO), ZnONP50: Lake with 50-μg ZnONP, ZnONP100: Lake with 100-μg ZnONP and ZnONP200: Lake with 200-μg ZnONP. After freezing and thawing, sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity, morphology, mitochondrial activity, acrosome integrity, DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation and ROS, as well as fertility and hatchability were assessed. According to the current results, higher rates of motility, membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, acrosome integrity and live cells were detected in the ZnO100, ZnONP50 and ZnONP100 groups compared to other groups (p ≤ .05). Yet, the percentage of dead cells, DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation and ROS levels were lower in the mentioned groups (p ≤ .05). Furthermore, a higher percentage of fertility was observed in the ZnO100 and ZnONP100 groups than in the control group (p ≤ .05). In conclusion, the use of 100-μg ZnO and 50- to 100-μg ZnONP represents a valuable and safe additive material that could be used to improve the quality and fertility potential of rooster sperm under cryopreservation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahdi Khodaei-Motlagh
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arak University, Arak, Iran
| | - Reza Masoudi
- Animal Science Research Institute of Iran (ASRI), Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Mohsen Sharafi
- Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Cormier N, Worsham AE, Rich KA, Hardy DM. SMA20/PMIS2 Is a Rapidly Evolving Sperm Membrane Alloantigen with Possible Species-Divergent Function in Fertilization. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3652. [PMID: 38612464 PMCID: PMC11011635 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunodominant alloantigens in pig sperm membranes include 15 known gene products and a previously undiscovered Mr 20,000 sperm membrane-specific protein (SMA20). Here we characterize SMA20 and identify it as the unannotated pig ortholog of PMIS2. A composite SMA20 cDNA encoded a 126 amino acid polypeptide comprising two predicted transmembrane segments and an N-terminal alanine- and proline (AP)-rich region with no apparent signal peptide. The Northern blots showed that the composite SMA20 cDNA was derived from a 1.1 kb testis-specific transcript. A BLASTp search retrieved no SMA20 match from the pig genome, but it did retrieve a 99% match to the Pmis2 gene product in warthog. Sequence identity to predicted PMIS2 orthologs from other placental mammals ranged from no more than 80% overall in Cetartiodactyla to less than 60% in Primates, with the AP-rich region showing the highest divergence, including, in the extreme, its absence in most rodents, including the mouse. SMA20 immunoreactivity localized to the acrosome/apical head of methanol-fixed boar spermatozoa but not live, motile cells. Ultrastructurally, the SMA20 AP-rich domain immunolocalized to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, the outer acrosomal membrane, and the acrosomal contents of ejaculated spermatozoa. Gene name search failed to retrieve annotated Pmis2 from most mammalian genomes. Nevertheless, individual pairwise interrogation of loci spanning Atp4a-Haus5 identified Pmis2 in all placental mammals, but not in marsupials or monotremes. We conclude that the gene encoding sperm-specific SMA20/PMIS2 arose de novo in Eutheria after divergence from Metatheria, whereupon rapid molecular evolution likely drove the acquisition of a species-divergent function unique to fertilization in placental mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaly Cormier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA
| | - Asha E. Worsham
- Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA; (A.E.W.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Kinsey A. Rich
- Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA; (A.E.W.); (K.A.R.)
| | - Daniel M. Hardy
- Department of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA; (A.E.W.); (K.A.R.)
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7
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Hallak J, Caldini EG, Teixeira TA, Correa MCM, Duarte-Neto AN, Zambrano F, Taubert A, Hermosilla C, Drevet JR, Dolhnikoff M, Sanchez R, Saldiva PHN. Transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in human spermatozoa associated with an ETosis-like response. Andrology 2024. [PMID: 38469742 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 can invade a variety of tissues, including the testis. Even though this virus is scarcely found in human semen polymerase chain reaction tests, autopsy studies confirm the viral presence in all testicular cell types, including spermatozoa and spermatids. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 is present inside the spermatozoa of negative polymerase chain reaction-infected men up to 3 months after hospital discharge. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study included 13 confirmed moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients enrolled 30-90 days after the diagnosis. Semen samples were obtained and examined with real-time polymerase chain reaction for RNA detection and by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS In moderate-to-severe clinical scenarios, we identified the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 inside spermatozoa in nine of 13 patients up to 90 days after discharge from the hospital. Moreover, some DNA-based extracellular traps were reported in all studied specimens. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Although severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 was not present in the infected men's semen, it was intracellularly present in the spermatozoa till 3 months after hospital discharge. The Electron microscopy (EM) findings also suggest that spermatozoa produce nuclear DNA-based extracellular traps, probably in a cell-free DNA-dependent manner, similar to those previously described in the systemic inflammatory response to COVID-19. In moderate-to-severe cases, the blood-testes barrier grants little defence against different pathogenic viruses, including the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus could also use the epididymis as a post-testicular route to bind and fuse to the mature spermatozoon and possibly accomplish the reverse transcription of the single-stranded viral RNA into proviral DNA. These mechanisms can elicit extracellular cell-free DNA formation. The potential implications of our findings for assisted conception must be addressed, and the evolutionary history of DNA-based extracellular traps as preserved ammunition in animals' innate defence might improve our understanding of the severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 pathophysiology in the testis and spermatozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Hallak
- Departamento de Cirurgia, Disciplina de Urologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Androscience, Science & Innovation Center in Andrology and High-Complex Clinical and Research Andrology Laboratory., Androscience Institute, Sao Paulo, Brasil
| | - Elia G Caldini
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago A Teixeira
- Androscience, Science & Innovation Center in Andrology and High-Complex Clinical and Research Andrology Laboratory., Androscience Institute, Sao Paulo, Brasil
- Departamento de Cirurgia, Divisão de Urologia, Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Amapá, Amapá, Brazil
| | | | - Amaro N Duarte-Neto
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fabiola Zambrano
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Center of Translational Medicine-Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (CEMT-BIOREN), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Anja Taubert
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Carlos Hermosilla
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Joël R Drevet
- GReD Institute, CNRS-INSERM-Université Clermont Auvergne, Faculty of Medicine, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Marisa Dolhnikoff
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raul Sanchez
- Center of Translational Medicine-Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus (CEMT-BIOREN), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Paulo H N Saldiva
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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8
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Sheibak N, Amjadi F, Shamloo A, Zarei F, Zandieh Z. Microfluidic sperm sorting selects a subpopulation of high-quality sperm with a higher potential for fertilization. Hum Reprod 2024:deae045. [PMID: 38461455 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deae045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is a microfluidic sperm sorter (MSS) able to select higher quality sperm compared to conventional methods? SUMMARY ANSWER The MSS selects sperm with improved parameters, lower DNA fragmentation, and higher fertilizing potential. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY To date, the few studies that have compared microfluidics sperm selection with conventional methods have used heterogeneous study population and have lacked molecular investigations. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The efficiency of a newly designed MSS in isolating high-quality sperm was compared to the density-gradient centrifugation (DGC) and swim-up (SU) methods, using 100 semen samples in two groups, during 2023-2024. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Semen specimens from 50 normozoospermic and 50 non-normozoospermic men were sorted using MSS, DGC, and SU methods to compare parameters related to the quality and fertilizing potential of sperm. The fertilizing potential of sperm was determined by measurement of phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) and post-acrosomal sheath WW domain-binding protein (PAWP) expression using flow cytometry, and the chromatin dispersion test was used to assess sperm DNA damage. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In both normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic groups, the MSS-selected sperm with the highest progressive motility, PLCζ positive expression and PLCζ and PAWP fluorescence intensity the lowest non-progressive motility, and minimal DNA fragmentation, compared to sperm selected by DGC and SU methods (P < 0.05). LIMITATION, REASONS FOR CAUTION The major limitations of our study were the low yield of sperm in the MSS chips and intentional exclusion of severe male factor infertility to yield a sufficient sperm count for molecular experiments; thus testing with severe oligozoospermic semen and samples with low count and motility is still required. In addition, due to ethical considerations, at present, it was impossible to use the sperm achieved from MSS in the clinic to assess the fertilization rate and further outcomes. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our research presents new evidence that microfluidic sperm sorting may result in the selection of high-quality sperm from raw semen. This novel technology might be a key to improving clinical outcomes of assisted reproduction in infertile patients. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The study is funded by the Iran University of Medical Sciences and no competing interest exists. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Sheibak
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemehsadat Amjadi
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Shahid Akbarabadi Clinical Research Development Unit (ShACRDU), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Shamloo
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Zarei
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Zandieh
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Shahid Akbarabadi Clinical Research Development Unit (ShACRDU), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Badreddine J, Sellke N, Rhodes S, Thirumavalavan N, Abou Ghayda R. The association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a cohort of men in the United States. Andrology 2024. [PMID: 38436127 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Socioeconomic differences are present within the population of men who experience infertility and seek treatment. OBJECTIVE To study the association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a group of men using mail-in semen analyses. MATERIALS AND METHODS The records of 11,134 men that used mail-in semen analyses from a fertility company were identified. Their demographic information, semen parameters, and ZIP codes were collected. Area deprivation index (ADI) was used as a proxy for socioeconomic status and was calculated for each individual using their ZIP codes in order to measure their level of socioeconomic deprivation. A higher ADI signifies a more deprived area. The association between ADI and the semen parameters of this group was measured using linear regression analysis adjusted for age. RESULTS 11,134 men were included in the study with a median age of 35 years (interquartile range (IQR): 32-40) and a median ADI of 83 (IQR: 68-97). The cohort had a median sperm concentration of 31 million/mL (IQR: 14-59), median total sperm count of 123 million (IQR: 57-224), median total motile sperm of 35 million (IQR: 9-95), median total motility of 32% (IQR: 15-52), progressive motility of 22% (IQR: 9-38), and morphology percent normal of 4% (IQR: 2-7). Higher ADI, indicating lower socioeconomic status, was negatively associated with various semen parameters, including sperm concentration, total sperm count, total motile sperm, and total and progressive motility. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Men who live in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse semen parameters. Further research is needed to thoroughly examine the impact of socioeconomic status on male fertility. A comprehensive approach that targets upstream social, economic, and healthcare factors can possibly alleviate the negative association of socioeconomic status with fertility and semen parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jad Badreddine
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Nicholas Sellke
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephen Rhodes
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Nannan Thirumavalavan
- Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Ramy Abou Ghayda
- Division of Men's Health, Urology Institute, University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Guignard S, Guillaume C, Tornero L, Moreau J, Carles M, Isus F, Huyghe É, Ravel C, Vergnolle N, Deraison C, Bonnart C, Gatimel N. Involvement of CATSPER 2 mutation in a familial context of unexplained infertility and fertilization failure associated with hearing loss: a case report. F S Rep 2024; 5:114-122. [PMID: 38524220 PMCID: PMC10958707 DOI: 10.1016/j.xfre.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To explore the functional implications of a homozygous CATSPER 2 (cation channel for sperm) deletion within the acrosome reaction pathway during fertilization in 2 brothers, who have unexplained infertility and hearing loss. Design Case report. Patients Two twin brothers aged 30 years with hearing loss and unexplained infertility. Exposure or Intervention Molecular genetic diagnosis of deafness. Evaluation of the acrosome reaction and calcium mobilization assays after induction by progesterone and ionomycin on spermatozoa of the CATSPER 2-mutated patient and on fertile controls. Main Outcome Measures Fertilization rate during conventional in vitro fertilization. Molecular genetic test. Percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa with peanut agglutinin lectin staining. Recording of progesterone and ionomycin-induced intracellular calcium signals with a fluorescent probe. Results Mr. S and his brother have normal, conventional sperm parameters. Both brothers have had repeated intrauterine insemination failures and one fertilization failure after conventional in vitro fertilization. Mr. S obtained 2 healthy babies after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Genetic analysis found a homozygote deletion of the STRC (stereocilin) gene (NM 153700: c.1-? 5328+?del) that removes the CATSPER 2 gene. Mutation of the STRC gene is known to be associated with hearing loss. Sperm functional tests revealed an inability of progesterone to activate intracellular calcium signaling and to induce acrosome reaction. Conclusion We demonstrate the absence of a calcium signal and acrosome reaction after progesterone in our patient with a CATSPER 2 mutation. We emphasize the importance of the male medical interview and of the genetic investigation of hearing loss. We show that in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection is necessary, even where normal sperm parameters are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Guignard
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Christina Guillaume
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
| | - Laurie Tornero
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
| | - Jessika Moreau
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
| | - Manon Carles
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
- DEFE (Développement Embryonnaire, Fertilité, Environnement - Embryonic Development, Fertility, Environment), UMR1203, INSERM - Universities of Toulouse and Montpellier, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - François Isus
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
| | - Éric Huyghe
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
- DEFE (Développement Embryonnaire, Fertilité, Environnement - Embryonic Development, Fertility, Environment), UMR1203, INSERM - Universities of Toulouse and Montpellier, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - Célia Ravel
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
| | - Nathalie Vergnolle
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Céline Deraison
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Chrystelle Bonnart
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Nicolas Gatimel
- IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, Univ Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse Teaching Hospital Group Toulouse, France
- DEFE (Développement Embryonnaire, Fertilité, Environnement - Embryonic Development, Fertility, Environment), UMR1203, INSERM - Universities of Toulouse and Montpellier, Paule de Viguier Hospital, Toulouse, France
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11
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Farnetani G, Vannucci M, Fino MG, Cioppi F, Rosta V, Palma M, Tamburrino L, Vinci S, Casamonti E, Degl'Innocenti S, Spinelli M, Abrardo C, Marchiani S, Lotti F, Muratori M, Riera-Escamilla A, Krausz C. Severe sperm DNA fragmentation may persist for up to 3 years after cytotoxic therapy in patients affected by Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hum Reprod 2024; 39:496-503. [PMID: 38177083 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Does sperm DNA recover from damage in all men after 2 years from the end of cytotoxic treatments? SUMMARY ANSWER The current indication of 2 years waiting time for seeking natural pregnancy after cytotoxic treatment may not be adequate for all men, since severe sperm DNA damage is present in a proportion of subjects even after this timeframe. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Data in the literature on sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in lymphoma patients after cytotoxic treatments are scarce. The largest longitudinal study evaluated paired pre- and post-therapy (up to 24 months) semen samples from 34 patients while one study performed a longer follow-up (36 months) in 10 patients. The median/mean SDF values >24 months after therapy did not show significant differences but the studies did not explore the proportion of patients with severe DNA damage and the analysis was done on frozen-thawed samples. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION In this study, 53 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and 25 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) post-pubertal patients were included over a recruitment period of 10 years (2012-2022). Among them, 18 subjects provided paired semen samples for SDF analysis at the three time points. SDF was evaluated in patients before (T0) and after 2 (T2) and 3 years (T3) from the end of, cytotoxic treatments (chemotherapy alone or in combination with radiotherapy). A cohort of 79 healthy, fertile, and normozoospermic men >18 years old served as controls (recruited between 2016 and 2019). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS SDF was evaluated on fresh semen samples (i.e. spermatozoa potentially involved in natural conception) from patients and controls using TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) assay coupled with flow cytometry. SDF median values were compared between groups: (i) HL and NHL patients versus controls at the three time points; (ii) HL versus NHL patients at baseline; and (iii) patients at T0 versus T2 and T3. Severe DNA damage (SDD) was defined for SDF levels above the 95th percentile of controls (50%) and the proportion of patients with SDD at all time points was established. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE At T0, patients displayed higher median SDF than controls, reaching statistical significance in the NHL group: 40.5% [IQR: 31.3-52.6%] versus 28% [IQR: 22-38%], P < 0.05. Comparing SDF pre-treatment to that post-treatment, HL patients exhibited similar median values at the three time points, whereas NHL showed significantly lower values at T3 compared to T0: 29.2% [IQR: 22-38%] versus 40.5% [IQR: 31.3-52.6%], P < 0.05. The proportion with SDD in the entire cohort at T2 was 11.6% and 13.3% among HL and NHL patients, respectively. At T3, only one in 16 NHL patients presented SDD. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION TUNEL assay requires at least 5 million spermatozoa to be performed; hence, severe oligozoospermic men were not included in the study. Although our cohort represents the largest one in the literature, the relatively small number of patients does not allow us to establish precisely the frequency of SDD at T2 which in our study reached 11-13% of patients. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our data provide further insights into the long-term effects of cytotoxic treatments on the sperm genome. The persistent severe DNA damage after 2 years post-treatment observed in some patients suggests that there is an interindividual variation in restoring DNA integrity. We propose the use of SDF as a biomarker to monitor the treatment-induced genotoxic effects on sperm DNA in order to better personalize pre-conceptional counseling on whether to use fresh or cryopreserved spermatozoa. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by grants from the Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT), Fondazione Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, the European Commission-Reproductive Biology Early Research Training (REPROTRAIN). C.K., G.F., V.R., and A.R.-E. belong to COST Action CA20119 (ANDRONET) which is supported by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (www.cost.eu). The authors declare no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginevra Farnetani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Matteo Vannucci
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Fino
- Andrology, Female Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, University Hospital Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
| | - Francesca Cioppi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Viktoria Rosta
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Hungarian National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Manuela Palma
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Lara Tamburrino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Serena Vinci
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elena Casamonti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Selene Degl'Innocenti
- Andrology, Female Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, University Hospital Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
| | - Matilde Spinelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Andrology, Fundació Puigvert, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chiara Abrardo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Marchiani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Lotti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Andrology, Female Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, University Hospital Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
| | - Monica Muratori
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Antoni Riera-Escamilla
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Andrology, Fundació Puigvert, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Csilla Krausz
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Andrology, Female Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, University Hospital Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
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12
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Margiana R, Gupta R, Al-Jewari WM, Hjazi A, Alsaab HO, Mustafa YF, Singh R, Thaibt R, Alkhayyat S, Ibrahim AJ. Evaluation of telomere length, reactive oxygen species, and apoptosis in spermatozoa of patients with oligospermia. Cell Biochem Funct 2024; 42:e3935. [PMID: 38379260 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.3935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
50% of cases of infertility are caused by male factor, which acquired or congenital problems may bring on. Male infertility can be caused by oligospermia and asthenozoospermia, which are common. Since the same mutations that cause azoospermia in some people also cause oligozoospermia in others, oligozoospermia may be thought of as a less severe form of azoospermia. Studies have demonstrated telomere length, catalase activity, super oxide dismutase (SOD), and DNA fragmentation can be influential factors for male infertility. The amount of apoptosis, oxidative stress factors, telomere length, and DNA fragmentation were some aspects of healthy sperm that we chose to look into in this study and compare to oligospermia individuals. Oligospermia patients (n = 24) and fertile men (n = 27) semen samples were collected, and the apoptosis rate of sperms in both groups was analyzed (Flow cytometry). Also, gene expression of apoptotic and antiapoptotic markers and telomere length were examined (real-time polymerase chain reaction). The sperm DNA fragmentation kit was used to determine DNA fragmentation and to evaluate catalase and SOD activity; the specific kits and methods were utilized. Higher expression levels of caspase3 (p = .0042), caspase8 (p = .0145), caspase9 (p = .0275), and BAX (p = .0202) mRNA were observed in patients who had oligospermia. In contrast, lower mRNA expression of BCL-2 (p = .0009) was detected in this group. In addition, telomere length was decreased in the oligospermia group (p < .0001) compared to the health group. Moreover, the frequency of apoptosis is induced in patients (p = .0026). The catalase activity is low (p = .0008), but the SOD activity is high (p = .0015) in the patient group. As a result of our findings, we may list the sperm cell apoptosis rate, telomere length, the degree of sperm DNA fragmentation, and lastly, the measurement of significant and efficient oxidative stress markers like SOD and catalase in semen plasma among the principal diagnostic characteristics for oligospermia. Future studies will be better able to treat oligospermia by showing whether these indicators are rising or falling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ria Margiana
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Master's Programme Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Andrology Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
- Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Reena Gupta
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Bharthia, India
| | | | - Ahmed Hjazi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hashem O Alsaab
- Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Rajesh Singh
- Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India
| | - Ruiscul Thaibt
- Medical Technical College, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Safa Alkhayyat
- College of Pharmacy, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
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13
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Neto FTL, Viana MC, Cariati F, Conforti A, Alviggi C, Esteves SC. Effect of environmental factors on seminal microbiome and impact on sperm quality. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1348186. [PMID: 38455659 PMCID: PMC10918436 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1348186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective This review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing research on the seminal microbiome and its association with male infertility, while also highlighting areas that warrant further investigation. Methods A narrative review was conducted, encompassing all relevant studies published between 1980-2023 on the male reproductive tract microbiome in humans. This review considered studies utilizing culture-based, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based, and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based methodologies to analyze the microbiome. Data extraction encompassed sample types (semen or testicular tissue), study designs, participant characteristics, employed techniques, and critical findings. Results We included 37 studies comprising 9,310 participants. Among these, 16 studies used culture-based methods, 16 utilized NGS, and five employed a combination of methods for microorganism identification. Notably, none of the studies assessed fungi or viruses. All NGS-based studies identified the presence of bacteria in all semen samples. Two notable characteristics of the seminal microbiome were observed: substantial variability in species composition among individuals and the formation of microbial communities with a dominant species. Studies examining the testicular microbiome revealed that the testicular compartment is not sterile. Interestingly, sexually active couples shared 56% of predominant genera, and among couples with positive cultures in both partners, 61% of them shared at least one genital pathogen. In couples with infertility of known causes, there was an overlap in bacterial composition between the seminal and vaginal microbiomes, featuring an increased prevalence of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus genera. Furthermore, the seminal microbiome had discernible effects on reproductive outcomes. However, bacteria in IVF culture media did not seem to impact pregnancy rates. Conclusion Existing literature underscores that various genera of bacteria colonize the male reproductive tract. These organisms do not exist independently; instead, they play a pivotal role in regulating functions and maintaining hemostasis. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and prospective studies and investigations into the influence of infertility causes and commonly prescribed medication to enhance our understanding of the seminal microbiota's role in reproductive health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina C. Viana
- ANDROFERT, Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Federica Cariati
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Conforti
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University of Naples, Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Alviggi
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sandro C. Esteves
- ANDROFERT, Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic, Campinas, Brazil
- Department of Surgery (Division of Urology), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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14
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Seth RK, Yadav P, Reynolds SE. Corrigendum: Dichotomous sperm in Lepidopteran insects: a biorational target for pest management. Front Insect Sci 2024; 4:1343089. [PMID: 38469343 PMCID: PMC10926491 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2024.1343089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1198252.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh K. Seth
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Priya Yadav
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Stuart E. Reynolds
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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15
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Brair VL, Correia LFL, Barbosa NO, Braga RF, Taira AR, da Silva AA, Brandão FZ, Ungerfeld R, Souza-Fabjan JMG. The association of resveratrol and AFPI did not enhance the cryoresistance of ram sperm. Anim Reprod 2024; 21:e20230159. [PMID: 38384723 PMCID: PMC10878549 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryoprotectants are required to reduce damage caused to the cells due to low temperatures during the cryopreservation. Antifreeze proteins (AFP) have a well-known role in cell membrane protection, while resveratrol is a potent antioxidant. This study assessed the effect of the association of resveratrol concentrations and AFP I in a ram semen extender. Pooled semen of four rams was allocated into six treatments in a factorial arrangement: (CONT, only the semen extender); only AFP I (ANT: 0.1 µg/mL of AFP I), only resveratrol, one treatment with two levels (10 µM/mL or 50 µM/mL of resveratrol); and two treatments with the interactions, with one AFP I and one of the two levels of resveratrol (0.1 µg/mL of AFP I with 10 µM/mL resveratrol; 0.1 µg/mL of AFP I with 50 µM/mL resveratrol). No interaction between factors was observed on sperm kinetics, plasma membrane integrity, hypo-osmotic test, and mitochondrial activity parameters. There was a high probability (P = 0.06) of reducing sperm cells with functional membrane percentage in the hypo-osmotic test and increasing the percentage of sperm with high mitochondrial activity (P = 0.07) was observed in AFP presence. An interaction of AFP and resveratrol was observed in non-capacitated sperm (P = 0.009), acrosomal reaction (P = 0.034), and sperm binding (P = 0.04). In conclusion, the association of resveratrol and AFP did not improve the quality of frozen-thawed semen and even promoted deleterious effects compared to their single addition in the semen extender. The supplementation of 50 µM/mL of resveratrol improved the outcomes of frozen-thawed ram sperm, being a potential cryoprotectant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Lopes Brair
- Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
| | | | | | | | | | - Andreza Amaral da Silva
- Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Rodolfo Ungerfeld
- Departamento de Biociencias Veterinarias, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Relovska S, Wang H, Zhang X, Fernández-Tussy P, Jeong KJ, Choi J, Suárez Y, McDonald JG, Fernández-Hernando C, Chung JJ. DHCR24-mediated sterol homeostasis during spermatogenesis is required for sperm mitochondrial sheath formation and impacts male fertility over time. bioRxiv 2024:2023.12.21.572851. [PMID: 38187697 PMCID: PMC10769317 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.21.572851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Desmosterol and cholesterol are essential lipid components of the sperm plasma membrane. Cholesterol efflux is required for capacitation, a process through which sperm acquire fertilizing ability. In this study, using a transgenic mouse model overexpressing 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR24), an enzyme in the sterol biosynthesis pathway responsible for the conversion of desmosterol to cholesterol, we show that disruption of sterol homeostasis during spermatogenesis led to defective sperm morphology characterized by incomplete mitochondrial packing in the midpiece, reduced sperm count and motility, and a decline in male fertility with increasing paternal age, without changes in body fat composition. Sperm depleted of desmosterol exhibit inefficiency in the acrosome reaction, metabolic dysfunction, and an inability to fertilize the egg. These findings provide molecular insights into sterol homeostasis for sperm capacitation and its impact on male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sona Relovska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Huafeng Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Xinbo Zhang
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Pablo Fernández-Tussy
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kyung Jo Jeong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Yajaira Suárez
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jeffrey G. McDonald
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Carlos Fernández-Hernando
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jean-Ju Chung
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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17
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Vacquier VD, Hamdoun A. Cold storage and cryopreservation methods for spermatozoa of the sea urchins Lytechinus pictus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Dev Dyn 2024. [PMID: 38340021 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sea urchins have contributed greatly to knowledge of fertilization, embryogenesis, and cell biology. However, until now, they have not been genetic model organisms because of their long generation times and lack of tools for husbandry and gene manipulation. We recently established the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus, as a multigenerational model Echinoderm, because of its relatively short generation time of 4-6 months and ease of laboratory culture. To take full advantage of this new multigenerational species, methods are needed to biobank and share genetically modified L. pictus sperm. RESULTS Here, we describe a method, based on sperm ion physiology that maintains L. pictus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sperm fertilizable for at least 5-10 weeks when stored at 0°C. We also describe a new method to cryopreserve sperm of both species. Sperm of both species can be frozen and thawed at least twice and still give rise to larvae that undergo metamorphosis. CONCLUSIONS The simple methods we describe work well for both species, achieving >90% embryo development and producing larvae that undergo metamorphosis to juvenile adults. We hope that these methods will be useful to others working on marine invertebrate sperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor D Vacquier
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Amro Hamdoun
- Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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18
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Lacalle E, Fernández-Alegre E, Gómez-Giménez B, Álvarez-Rodríguez M, Martín-Fernández B, Soriano-Úbeda C, Martínez-Pastor F. Application of Flow Cytometry Using Advanced Chromatin Analyses for Assessing Changes in Sperm Structure and DNA Integrity in a Porcine Model. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1953. [PMID: 38396632 PMCID: PMC10888687 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25041953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromatin status is critical for sperm fertility and reflects spermatogenic success. We tested a multivariate approach for studying pig sperm chromatin structure to capture its complexity with a set of quick and simple techniques, going beyond the usual assessment of DNA damage. Sperm doses from 36 boars (3 ejaculates/boar) were stored at 17 °C and analyzed on days 0 and 11. Analyses were: CASA (motility) and flow cytometry to assess sperm functionality and chromatin structure by SCSA (%DFI, DNA fragmentation; %HDS, chromatin maturity), monobromobimane (mBBr, tiol status/disulfide bridges between protamines), chromomycin A3 (CMA3, protamination), and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG, DNA oxidative damage). Data were analyzed using linear models for the effects of boar and storage, correlations, and multivariate analysis as hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Storage reduced sperm quality parameters, mainly motility, with no critical oxidative stress increases, while chromatin status worsened slightly (%DFI and 8-oxo-dG increased while mBBr MFI-median fluorescence intensity-and disulfide bridge levels decreased). Boar significantly affected most chromatin variables except CMA3; storage also affected most variables except %HDS. At day 0, sperm chromatin variables clustered closely, except for CMA3, and %HDS and 8-oxo-dG correlated with many variables (notably, mBBr). After storage, the relation between %HDS and 8-oxo-dG remained, but correlations among other variables disappeared, and mBBr variables clustered separately. The PCA suggested a considerable influence of mBBr on sample variance, especially regarding storage, with SCSA and 8-oxo-dG affecting between-sample variability. Overall, CMA3 was the least informative, in contrast with results in other species. The combination of DNA fragmentation, DNA oxidation, chromatin compaction, and tiol status seems a good candidate for obtaining a complete picture of pig sperm nucleus status. It raises many questions for future molecular studies and deserves further research to establish its usefulness as a fertility predictor in multivariate models. The usefulness of CMA3 should be clarified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estíbaliz Lacalle
- Institute of Animal Health and Cattle Development (INDEGSAL), University of León, 24071 León, Spain; (E.L.); (B.M.-F.)
- Bianor Biotech SL, 24071 León, Spain
| | | | - Belén Gómez-Giménez
- Institute of Animal Health and Cattle Development (INDEGSAL), University of León, 24071 León, Spain; (E.L.); (B.M.-F.)
| | - Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez
- Department of Animal Reproduction, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, Spanish Scientific Research Council (INIA-CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Beatriz Martín-Fernández
- Institute of Animal Health and Cattle Development (INDEGSAL), University of León, 24071 León, Spain; (E.L.); (B.M.-F.)
- Department of Molecular Biology (Cell Biology), University of León, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Cristina Soriano-Úbeda
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Veterinary Anatomy (Animal Medicine and Surgery), University of León, 24071 León, Spain;
| | - Felipe Martínez-Pastor
- Institute of Animal Health and Cattle Development (INDEGSAL), University of León, 24071 León, Spain; (E.L.); (B.M.-F.)
- Department of Molecular Biology (Cell Biology), University of León, 24071 León, Spain
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19
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Ramírez-Agámez L, Hernández-Avilés C, Ortíz I, Love CC, Varner DD, Hinrichs K. Lactate as the sole energy substrate induces spontaneous acrosome reaction in viable stallion spermatozoa. Andrology 2024; 12:459-471. [PMID: 37300872 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Equine spermatozoa appear to differ from spermatozoa of other species in using oxidative phosphorylation preferentially over glycolysis. However, there is little information regarding effects of different energy sources on measured parameters in equine spermatozoa. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of three individual energy substrates, glucose, pyruvate, and lactate, on motion characteristics, membrane integrity, and acrosomal status of stallion spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS Freshly ejaculated stallion spermatozoa were incubated with combinations of glucose (5 mm), pyruvate (10 mm), and lactate (10 mm) for 0.5 to 4 h. Response to calcium ionophore A23187 (5 μm) was used to evaluate capacitation status. Motility was evaluated using computer-assisted sperm analysis, and plasma membrane and acrosomal integrity were evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS Incubation with lactate alone for 2 h increased acrosomal sensitivity to A23187. Notably, incubation with lactate alone for 4 h induced a significant spontaneous increase in acrosome-reacted, membrane-intact (viable) spermatozoa, to approximately 50% of the live population, whereas no increase was seen with incubation in glucose or pyruvate alone. This acrosomal effect was observed in spermatozoa incubated at physiological pH as well as under alkaline conditions (medium pH approximately 8.5). Sperm motility declined concomitantly with the increase in acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. Sperm motility was significantly higher in pyruvate-only medium than in glucose or lactate. The addition of pyruvate to lactate-containing medium increased sperm motility but reduced the proportion of live acrosome-reacted spermatozoa in a dose-dependent fashion. DISCUSSION This is the first study to demonstrate that incubation with a specific energy substrate, lactate, is associated with spontaneous acrosome reaction in spermatozoa. The proportion of live, acrosome-reacted spermatozoa obtained is among the highest reported for equine spermatozoa. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the delicate control of key sperm functions, and may serve as a basis to increase our understanding of stallion sperm physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Ramírez-Agámez
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Camilo Hernández-Avilés
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Isabel Ortíz
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Charles C Love
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Dickson D Varner
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Katrin Hinrichs
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Department of Clinical Studies - New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
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20
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Fernández de la Puente M, Salas-Huetos A, Valle-Hita C, Babio N, Murphy MM, Canudas S, Salas-Salvadó J. Is telomere length a biomarker of sperm quality? A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Andrology 2024; 12:277-288. [PMID: 37328426 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres are essential for the integrity of chromosome ends during cell division and their involvement in different processes linked to aging has been established. These chromosome components are involved in spermatogenesis and seem to play an important role in fertilization and embryo development. Telomere length is shortened with each cell division. Recently, short sperm telomere length has been proposed as a potential biomarker of male infertility. OBJECTIVES To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies exploring the association between spermatozoa and/or leukocyte telomere length with sperm quality parameters and different infertility conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted with studies from Medline-PUBMED and Cochrane Library databases until May 2022. Eligible studies included cohort, cross-sectional and case-control studies, and telomere length in spermatozoa and/or leukocytes cells was defined as the exposure. Semen quality parameters or infertility conditions (e.g., oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia, or other spermatogenic impairment combinations) were defined as the outcomes. RESULTS Twenty-three observational studies were included. In the qualitative analysis, high heterogeneity was observed between studies regarding the associations between telomere length and semen parameters in different normozoospermic/fertile and oligozoospermic/infertile populations. In the meta-analysis, spermatozoa and leukocyte telomere length were shorter in infertile individuals than in fertile individuals (mean difference [95% confidence interval]: -1.43 [-1.66 to -1.21], p-value <0.001 and -1.67 [-2.02 to -1.31], p-value <0.001, respectively). Moreover, in terms of sperm telomere length, these differences were also significant between individuals with a normal seminogram and individuals with a low quantity of spermatozoa in the ejaculate (-0.97 [-1.32, -0.61], p-value <0.001). CONCLUSION The current systematic review and meta-analysis suggests the potential role of spermatozoa or leukocyte telomere length as a reliable biomarker of semen quality, which may help distinguish between infertility conditions beyond the routine semen analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Fernández de la Puente
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
| | - Albert Salas-Huetos
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, Unit of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Cristina Valle-Hita
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
| | - Nancy Babio
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
| | - Michelle M Murphy
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, Unit of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
| | - Silvia Canudas
- Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Food Torribera Campus, University of Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, University of Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
| | - Jordi Salas-Salvadó
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, Unitat de Nutrició Humana, Grup ANUT-DSM, Reus, Spain
- Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Hospital Universitari San Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
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21
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Shi H, Li QY, Li H, Wang HY, Fan CX, Dong QY, Pan BC, Ji ZL, Li JY. ROS-induced oxidative stress is a major contributor to sperm cryoinjury. Hum Reprod 2024; 39:310-325. [PMID: 38011909 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What is the mechanism behind cryoinjury in human sperm, particularly concerning the interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy, and how does it subsequently affect sperm fate? SUMMARY ANSWER The freeze-thaw operation induces oxidative stress by generating abundant ROS, which impairs sperm motility and activates autophagy, ultimately guiding the sperm toward programmed cell death such as apoptosis and necrosis, as well as triggering premature capacitation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Both ROS-induced oxidative stress and autophagy are thought to exert an influence on the quality of frozen-thawed sperm. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Overall, 84 semen specimens were collected from young healthy fertile males, with careful quality evaluation. The specimens were split into three groups to investigate the ROS-induced cryoinjury: normal control without any treatment, sperm treated with 0.5 mM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 1 h, and sperm thawed following cryopreservation. Samples from 48 individuals underwent computer-assisted human sperm analysis (CASA) to evaluate sperm quality in response to the treatments. Semen samples from three donors were analyzed for changes in the sperm proteome after H2O2 treatment, and another set of samples from three donors were analyzed for changes following the freeze-thaw process. The other 30 samples were used for fluorescence-staining and western blotting. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Sperm motility parameters, including progressive motility (PR %) and total motility (PR + NP %), were evaluated using the CASA system on a minimum of 200 spermatozoa. The proteomic profiles were determined with label-free mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and protein identification was performed via ion search against the NCBI human database. Subsequently, comprehensive bioinformatics was applied to detect significant proteomic changes and functional enrichment. Fluorescence-staining and western blot analyses were also conducted to confirm the proteomic changes on selected key proteins. The ROS level was measured using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate labeling and the abundance of bioactive mitochondria was determined by evaluating the inner mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level. Molecular behaviors of sequestosome-1 (p62 or SQSTM1) and microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) were monitored to evaluate the state of apoptosis in human sperm. Fluorescent probes oxazole yellow (YO-PRO-1) and propidium iodide (PI) were utilized to monitor programmed cell death, namely apoptosis and necrosis. Additionally, gradient concentrations of antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) were introduced to suppress ROS impacts on sperm. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The CASA analysis revealed a significant decrease in sperm motility for both the H2O2-treatment and freeze-thaw groups. Fluorescence staining showed that high ROS levels were produced in the treated sperm and the MMPs were largely reduced. The introduction of CoQ10 at concentrations of 20 and 30 μM resulted in a significant rescue of progressive motility (P < 0.05). The result suggested that excessive ROS could be the major cause of sperm motility impairment, likely by damaging mitochondrial energy generation. Autophagy was significantly activated in sperm when they were under oxidative stress, as evidenced by the upregulation of p62 and the increased conversion of LC3 as well as the upregulation of several autophagy-related proteins, such as charged multivesicular body protein 2a, mitochondrial import receptor subunit TOM22 homolog, and WD repeat domain phosphoinositide-interacting protein 2. Additionally, fluorescent staining indicated the occurrence of apoptosis and necrosis in both H2O2-treated sperm and post-thaw sperm. The cell death process can be suppressed when CoQ10 is introduced, which consolidates the view that ROS could be the major contributor to sperm cryoinjury. The freeze-thaw process could also initiate sperm premature capacitation, demonstrated by the prominent increase in tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, verified with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and immunofluorescence assays. The upregulation of capacitation-related proteins, such as hyaluronidase 3 and Folate receptor alpha, supported this finding. LARGE SCALE DATA The data underlying this article are available in the article and its online supplementary material. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The semen samples were obtained exclusively from young, healthy, and fertile males with progressive motility exceeding 60%, which might overemphasize the positive effects while possibly neglecting the negative impacts of cryoinjury. Additionally, the H2O2 treatment conditions in this study may not precisely mimic the oxidative stress experienced by sperm after thawing from cryopreservation, potentially resulting in the omission of certain molecular alterations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study provides substantial proteomic data for a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the impact of cryopreservation on sperm quality. It will facilitate the design of optimal protocols for utilizing cryopreserved sperm to improve applications, such as ART, and help resolve various adverse situations caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by grants from the Major Innovation Project of Research Institute of National Health Commission (#2022GJZD01-3) and the National Key R&D Program of China (#2018YFC1003600). All authors declare no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Shi
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Qian-Ying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Hui Li
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Hai-Yan Wang
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Chuan-Xi Fan
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Qiao-Yan Dong
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Bo-Chen Pan
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Zhi-Liang Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Jian-Yuan Li
- Institute of Science and Technology, National Health Commission, Beijing, China
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22
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Hamada H, Casciaro C, Moisiadis VG, Constantinof A, Kostaki A, Matthews SG. Prenatal maternal glucocorticoid exposure modifies sperm miRNA profiles across multiple generations in the guinea-pig. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38285002 DOI: 10.1113/jp284942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress and glucocorticoid exposure during pregnancy have multigenerational effects on neuroendocrine function and behaviours in offspring. Importantly, effects are transmitted through the paternal lineage. Altered phenotypes are associated with profound differences in transcription and DNA methylation in the brain. In the present study, we hypothesized that maternal prenatal synthetic glucocorticoid (sGC) exposure in the F0 pregnancy will result in differences in miRNA levels in testes germ cells and sperm across multiple generations, and that these changes will associate with modified microRNA (miRNA) profiles and gene expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of subsequent generations. Pregnant guinea-pigs (F0) were treated with multiple courses of the sGC betamethasone (Beta) (1 mg kg-1 ; gestational days 40, 41, 50, 51, 60 and 61) in late gestation. miRNA levels were assessed in testes germ cells and in F2 PFC using the GeneChip miRNA 4.0 Array and candidate miRNA measured in epididymal sperm by quantitative real-time PCR. Maternal Beta exposure did not alter miRNA levels in germ cells derived from the testes of adult male offspring. However, there were significant differences in the levels of four candidate miRNAs in the sperm of F1 and F2 adult males. There were no changes in miRNA levels in the PFC of juvenile F2 female offspring. The present study has identified that maternal Beta exposure leads to altered miRNA levels in sperm that are apparent for at least two generations. The fact that differences were confined to epididymal sperm suggests that the intergenerational effects of Beta may target the epididymis. KEY POINTS: Paternal glucocorticoid exposure prior to conception leads to profound epigenetic changes in the brain and somatic tissues in offspring, and microRNAs (miRNAs) in sperm may mediate these changes. We show that there were significant differences in the miRNA profile of epididymal sperm in two generations following prenatal glucocorticoid exposure that were not observed in germ cells derived from the testes. The epididymis is a probable target for intergenerational programming. The effects of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment may span multiple generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotaka Hamada
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Christopher Casciaro
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vasilis G Moisiadis
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea Constantinof
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alisa Kostaki
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen G Matthews
- Departments of Physiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health Systems, Toronto, ON, Canada
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23
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Vozdova M, Kubickova S, Kopecka V, Pauciullo A, Rubes J. Impact of air pollution from different sources on sperm DNA methylation. Int J Environ Health Res 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38282264 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2024.2310152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Environmental exposure is associated with increased incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reduced fertility. Exposure to air pollution can influence gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. In this study, we analysed gene-specific CpG methylation in spermatozoa of city policemen occupationally exposed to air pollution in two Czech cities differing by sources and composition of the air pollution. In Prague, the pollution is mainly formed by NO2 from heavy traffic. Ostrava is a hotspot of industrial air pollution with high concentrations of particular matter (PM) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). We performed genome-wide methylation sequencing using the SureSelectXT Human Methyl-Seq system (Agilent Technologies) and next-generation sequencing to reveal differentially methylated CpG sites and regions. We identified differential methylation in the region chr5:662169 - 663376 annotated to genes CEP72 and TPPP. The region was then analysed in sperm DNA from 117 policemen using targeted methylation sequencing, which proved its hypermethylation in sperm of Ostrava policemen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miluse Vozdova
- Department of Genetics and Reproductive Biotechnologies, Central European Institute of Technology - Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Svatava Kubickova
- Department of Genetics and Reproductive Biotechnologies, Central European Institute of Technology - Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vera Kopecka
- Department of Genetics and Reproductive Biotechnologies, Central European Institute of Technology - Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alfredo Pauciullo
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Jiri Rubes
- Department of Genetics and Reproductive Biotechnologies, Central European Institute of Technology - Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
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24
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Jung EJ, Jo JH, Uwamahoro C, Jang SI, Lee WJ, Hwang JM, Bae JW, Kwon WS. Ritonavir Has Reproductive Toxicity Depending on Disrupting PI3K/PDK1/AKT Signaling Pathway. Toxics 2024; 12:73. [PMID: 38251029 PMCID: PMC10819985 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Ritonavir (RTV) is an antiviral and a component of COVID-19 treatments. Moreover, RTV demonstrates anti-cancer effects by suppressing AKT. However, RTV has cytotoxicity and suppresses sperm functions by altering AKT activity. Although abnormal AKT activity is known for causing detrimental effects on sperm functions, how RTV alters AKT signaling in spermatozoa remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate reproductive toxicity of RTV in spermatozoa through phosphoinositide 3-kinase/phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1/protein kinase B (PI3K/PDK1/AKT) signaling. Duroc spermatozoa were treated with various concentrations of RTV, and capacitation was induced. Sperm functions (sperm motility, motion kinematics, capacitation status, and cell viability) and expression levels of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related proteins were evaluated. In the results, RTV significantly suppressed sperm motility, motion kinematics, capacitation, acrosome reactions, and cell viability. Additionally, RTV significantly increased levels of phospho-tyrosine proteins and PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway-related proteins except for AKT and PI3K. The expression level of AKT was not significantly altered and that of PI3K was significantly decreased. These results suggest RTV may suppress sperm functions by induced alterations of PI3K/PDK1/AKT pathway through abnormally increased tyrosine phosphorylation. Therefore, we suggest people who use or prescribe RTV need to consider its male reproductive toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Ju Jung
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Jae-Hwan Jo
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea;
| | - Claudine Uwamahoro
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Seung-Ik Jang
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Woo-Jin Lee
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Ju-Mi Hwang
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Jeong-Won Bae
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
| | - Woo-Sung Kwon
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; (E.-J.J.); (C.U.); (S.-I.J.); (W.-J.L.); (J.-M.H.); (J.-W.B.)
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea;
- Research Institute for Innovative Animal Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
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Thakur B, Hasooni LP, Gera R, Mitra S, Björndahl L, Darreh-Shori T. Presence of key cholinergic enzymes in human spermatozoa and seminal fluid†. Biol Reprod 2024; 110:63-77. [PMID: 37741056 PMCID: PMC10790344 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioad127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the non-neuronal spermic cholinergic system, which may regulate sperm motility and the acrosome reaction initiation process. We investigated the presence of the key acetylcholine (ACh)-biosynthesizing enzyme, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and the acetylcholine-degrading enzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and two ACh-receptors in human spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Fresh ejaculates were used for intra- and extracellular flow cytometric analysis of ChAT, AChE, BChE, and alpha-7-nicotinic and M1-muscarinic ACh-receptors in sperm. For determining the source of soluble enzymes, frozen seminal samples (n = 74) were selected on two bases: (1) from vasectomized (n = 37) and non-vasectomized (n = 37) subjects and (2) based on levels of alpha-glucosidase, fructose, or zinc to define sample subgroups with high or low fluid contribution from the epididymis and seminal vesicle, and prostate, respectively. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that ChAT was expressed intracellularly in essentially all spermatozoa. ChAT was also present in a readily membrane-detachable form at the extracellular membrane of at least 18% of the spermatozoa. These were also highly positive for intra- and extracellular BChE (>83%) and M1 (>84%) and α7 (>59%) ACh-receptors. Intriguingly, the sperm was negative for AChE. Analyses of seminal plasma revealed that spermatozoa and epididymides were major sources of soluble ChAT and BChE, whereas soluble AChE most likely originated from epididymides and seminal vesicles. Prostate had relatively minor contribution to the pool of the soluble enzymes in the seminal fluid. In conclusion, human spermatozoa exhibited a cholinergic phenotype and were one of the major sources of soluble ChAT and BChE in ejaculate. We also provide the first evidence for ChAT as an extracellularly membrane-anchored protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banita Thakur
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laila Pamela Hasooni
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ruchi Gera
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sumonto Mitra
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Björndahl
- ANOVA, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Taher Darreh-Shori
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Sun X, Zhang L, Kang Y, Wang X, Jiang C, Wang J, Sohail T, Li Y. Alpha-lipoic acid improves the quality of ram spermatozoa stored at 4°C by reducing oxidative stress and increasing mitochondrial potential. Front Vet Sci 2024; 10:1345016. [PMID: 38260187 PMCID: PMC10800740 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1345016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Ram spermatozoa inevitably produce a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during liquid storage, leading to oxidative stress and a decline of spermatozoa quality. Therefore, it is particularly important to add exogenous antioxidants during the process of semen liquid preservation. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether adding alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) to ram semen can reduce oxidative stress and enhance spermatozoa quality during the liquid storage at 4°C. Methods Different concentrations of ALA (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 mM) were added to semen and stored at 4°C. During storage at 4°C, spermatozoa motility, kinetic parameters, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, energy metabolism parameters (mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)) and oxidative stress parameters [ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD)] were assessed. Results and discussion The results indicated that 0.1 mM ALA significantly (p<0.05) improved spermatozoa total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM), plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, ΔΨM, ATP, TAC, and SOD, while significantly (p<0.05) reducing spermatozoa ROS and MDA content compared to the control group. In conclusion, ALA can reduce damage caused by oxidative stress in spermatozoa and effectively improve the quality of semen preserved at 4°C. And the optimal concentration is 0.1 mM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yongjun Li
- Key Laboratory for Animal Genetics & Molecular Breeding of Jiangsu Province; College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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Polezhaeva TV, Zaitseva OO, Khudyakov AN, Sergushkina MI, Solomina ON. Cryoprotective Effect of Pectin Tanacetan from Tanacetum vulgare L. Biopreserv Biobank 2024. [PMID: 38190112 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2023.0066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
We researched the ability of tanacetan pectin from inflorescences of common tansy Tanacetum vulgare L. to change the osmolarity and freezing point of water in solutions of cryoprotectants: glycerol-3.5%, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-10%, dimethylacetamide-10% (DMAC), and 1.2-propanediol (1.2-PD)-10%, as well as the effect of solutions of tanacetan (0.2%, 0.4%) on the kinetics of crystallization processes and the nature of crystal formation. We used a combination of protector and pectin that we tested earlier, which provided effective protection for human leukocytes and platelets, as well as bovine spermatozoa, at temperatures below freezing (-20°C and -80°C). It has been established that tanacetan slows down the process of water freezing in glycerol, but not in DMSO, DMAC, and 1.2-PD, promotes deeper supercooling of the medium, and affects the morphological structure of ice. The addition of pectin to the cryosolution increases the activity of the main cryoprotectant glycerol even at its low concentrations. The combination of glycerol and tanacetan can be effective in freezing biological materials, which is confirmed by the preservation of leukocytes at -20°C and -80°C for 7 days, platelets at -80°C for 30 days, and spermatozoa at -80°C within 1 day. A comprehensive analysis of the chemical, physicochemical, and cryoprotective properties of tanacetan indicates the prospect of using pectin in the cryopreservation of biological objects at temperatures of electric freezers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Vitalyevna Polezhaeva
- Institute of Physiology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Oksana Olegovna Zaitseva
- Institute of Physiology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Andrey Nikolayevich Khudyakov
- Institute of Physiology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Marta Igorevna Sergushkina
- Institute of Physiology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Olga Nurzadinovna Solomina
- Institute of Physiology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia
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28
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Valle M, O'Brien B, Green TD, Reiner JE, Seashols-Williams S. Droplet-based optical trapping for cell separation in mock forensic samples. J Forensic Sci 2024; 69:273-281. [PMID: 37710383 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Optical tweezers have a wide range of uses for mechanical manipulation of objects in the microscopic range. This includes both living and static cells in a variety of biomedical and research applications. Single-focus optical tweezers, formed by focusing a laser beam through a high numerical aperture immersion objective, create a significant force, which enables controlled transport of a variety of different cell types and morphologies in three dimensions. Optical tweezers have been previously reported to capture and separate spermatozoa from a reconstituted simulated postcoital sample. We report herein the development of a simplified, more efficient cell transfer protocol that can separate and isolate both spermatozoa as well as leukocytes, with similar efficiencies as those previously reported. The new cell transfer method was used to separate sperm cells from a reconstituted mixture of spermatozoa and vaginal epithelial cells, with complete STR profiles developed from 50 cells with little evidence of contribution from the female contributor to the mixture. This modified protocol was then used to separate 21 samples of enriched leukocytes, with trapped cells ranging from 5 to 22 cells. Complete STR profiles were developed from as few as 10 leukocytes. Thus, with minimal sample preparation and a short trapping time, this method has the potential to provide an alternative to traditional differential extraction methods for separation of sperm:nonsperm mixtures while also providing versatility for separation of cells with differing morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Valle
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Benjamin O'Brien
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Tracey Dawson Green
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Joseph E Reiner
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
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29
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Calvert L, Martin JH, Anderson AL, Bernstein IR, Burke ND, De Iuliis GN, Eamens AL, Dun MD, Turner BD, Roman SD, Green MP, Nixon B. Assessment of the impact of direct in vitro PFAS treatment on mouse spermatozoa. Reprod Fertil 2024; 5:e230087. [PMID: 38367345 PMCID: PMC10959046 DOI: 10.1530/raf-23-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Graphical abstract Abstract Poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic environmentally persistent chemicals. Despite the phaseout of specific PFAS, their inherent stability has resulted in ubiquitous and enduring environmental contamination. PFAS bioaccumulation has been reported globally with omnipresence in most populations wherein they have been associated with a range of negative health effects, including strong associations with increased instances of testicular cancer and reductions in overall semen quality. To elucidate the biological basis of such effects, we employed an acute in vitro exposure model in which the spermatozoa of adult male mice were exposed to a cocktail of PFAS chemicals at environmentally relevant concentrations. We hypothesized that direct PFAS treatment of spermatozoa would induce reactive oxygen species generation and compromise the functional profile and DNA integrity of exposed cells. Despite this, post-exposure functional testing revealed that short-term PFAS exposure (3 h) did not elicit a cytotoxic effect, nor did it overtly influence the functional profile, capacitation rate, or the in vitro fertilization ability of spermatozoa. PFAS treatment of spermatozoa did, however, result in a significant delay in the developmental progression of the day 4 pre-implantation embryos produced in vitro. This developmental delay could not be attributed to a loss of sperm DNA integrity, DNA damage, or elevated levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species. When considered together, the results presented here raise the intriguing prospect that spermatozoa exposed to a short-term PFAS exposure period potentially harbor an alternate stress signal that is delivered to the embryo upon fertilization. Lay summary PFAS are synthetic chemicals widely used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, and firefighting foam. Such extensive use has led to concerning levels of environmental contamination and reports of associations with a spectrum of negative health outcomes, including testicular cancer and reduced semen quality. To investigate the effects of PFAS on male reproduction, we incubated mouse sperm in a cocktail of nine PFAS at environmentally relevant concentrations before checking for a range of functional outcomes. This treatment strategy was not toxic to the sperm; it did not kill them or reduce their motility, nor did it affect their fertilization capacity. However, we did observe developmental delays among pre-implantation embryos created using PFAS-treated sperm. Such findings raise the intriguing prospect that PFAS-exposed sperm harbor a form of stress signal that they deliver to the embryo upon fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Calvert
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Jacinta H Martin
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Amanda L Anderson
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Ilana R Bernstein
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Nathan D Burke
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Geoffry N De Iuliis
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew L Eamens
- School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew D Dun
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Brett D Turner
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Geotechnical Science and Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Mark P Green
- School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brett Nixon
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Araya-Zúñiga I, Sevilla F, Molina-Montero R, Roldan ERS, Barrientos-Morales M, Silvestre MA, Valverde A. Kinematic and Morphometric Assessment of Fresh Semen, before, during and after Mating Period in Brahman Bulls. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:132. [PMID: 38200863 PMCID: PMC10778289 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to determine the effects that the reproductive season has on the motility, kinematics, morphology, and sperm morphometry of Brahman bulls evaluated with a commercial CASA system. The experiment was carried out at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology from March to August 2021. A total of eight Brahman bulls were used. A total of 28 ejaculates were collected in the pre-mating period (PMP), during it (DMP), and after it (AMP) using an electroejaculator. The sperm concentration was measured with the Accuread photometer. The motility was measured using a Spermtrack® counting chamber. The analyses were performed with the CASA-Mot ISAS®v1 system. The morphology was analyzed using a microscope with a negative phase contrast objective. Morphometry was evaluated with the CASA-Morph. The sperm concentration did not present differences between the PMP and AMP; however, it was significantly higher than DMP (p > 0.05). Regarding the progressiveness variables, linearity on forward progression (LIN), straightness (STR), and wobble (WOB) were higher (p < 0.05) DMP. A kinematic principal component analysis grouped all the variables into three factors and an effect on the reproductive period was found (p < 0.05) in the parameters of the head and middle part of the sperm, such as width and perimeter, which were greater in the PMP. The length of the sperm head in the PMP and DMP did not show differences; however, both were larger (p < 0.05) than AMP. The insertion distance of the middle piece of the sperm was significantly greater than DMP. Finally, the PMP contained cells with a larger insertion angle (p < 0.05) than AMP. These findings are important to understand the implications of reproductive status on sperm quality and to consider them in andrological evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Araya-Zúñiga
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, School of Agronomy, Costa Rica Institute of Technology, San Carlos Campus, Alajuela 223-21002, Costa Rica; (I.A.-Z.); (F.S.); (R.M.-M.)
| | - Francisco Sevilla
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, School of Agronomy, Costa Rica Institute of Technology, San Carlos Campus, Alajuela 223-21002, Costa Rica; (I.A.-Z.); (F.S.); (R.M.-M.)
- Natural Sciences for Development (DOCINADE), Costa Rica Institute of Technology, San Carlos Campus, Alajuela 223-21002, Costa Rica
| | - Rafael Molina-Montero
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, School of Agronomy, Costa Rica Institute of Technology, San Carlos Campus, Alajuela 223-21002, Costa Rica; (I.A.-Z.); (F.S.); (R.M.-M.)
| | - Eduardo R. S. Roldan
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Manuel Barrientos-Morales
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Veracruz, Veracruz CP 91710, Mexico;
| | - Miguel A. Silvestre
- Department of Cellular Biology, Functional Biology and Physical Anthropology, Campus Burjassot, University of Valencia, C/Dr Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Anthony Valverde
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, School of Agronomy, Costa Rica Institute of Technology, San Carlos Campus, Alajuela 223-21002, Costa Rica; (I.A.-Z.); (F.S.); (R.M.-M.)
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Shkrigunov T, Zgoda V, Klimenko P, Kozlova A, Klimenko M, Lisitsa A, Kurtser M, Petushkova N. The Application of Ejaculate-Based Shotgun Proteomics for Male Infertility Screening. Biomedicines 2023; 12:49. [PMID: 38255156 PMCID: PMC10813512 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Problems with the male reproductive system are of both medical and social significance. As a rule, spermatozoa and seminal plasma proteomes are investigated separately to assess sperm quality. The current study aimed to compare ejaculate proteomes with spermatozoa and seminal plasma protein profiles regarding the identification of proteins related to fertility scores. A total of 1779, 715, and 2163 proteins were identified in the ejaculate, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa, respectively. Among these datasets, 472 proteins were shared. GO enrichment analysis of the common proteins enabled us to distinguish biological processes such as single fertilization (GO:0007338), spermatid development (GO:0007286), and cell motility (GO:0048870). Among the abundant terms for GO cellular components, zona pellucida receptor complex, sperm fibrous sheath, and outer dense fiber were revealed. Overall, we identified 139 testis-specific proteins. For these proteins, PPI networks that are common in ejaculate, spermatozoa, and seminal plasma were related to the following GO biological processes: cilium movement (GO:0003341), microtubule-based movement (GO:0007018), and sperm motility (GO:0097722). For ejaculate and spermatozoa, they shared 15 common testis-specific proteins with spermatogenesis (GO:0007283) and male gamete generation (GO:0048232). Therefore, we speculated that ejaculate-based proteomics could yield new insights into the peculiar reproductive physiology and spermatozoa function of men and potentially serve as an explanation for male infertility screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timur Shkrigunov
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry and Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (A.L.); (N.P.)
| | - Victor Zgoda
- Laboratory of Systems Biology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Peter Klimenko
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Anna Kozlova
- Center of Scientific and Practical Education, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Maria Klimenko
- Center for Family Planning and Reproduction, Moscow Department of Health, 117209 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Andrey Lisitsa
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry and Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (A.L.); (N.P.)
- Center of Scientific and Practical Education, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Mark Kurtser
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.K.); (M.K.)
| | - Natalia Petushkova
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry and Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia; (A.L.); (N.P.)
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Parrilla I, Cambra JM, Cuello C, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Gil MA, Martinez EA. Cryopreservation of highly extended pig spermatozoa remodels its proteome and counteracts polyspermic fertilization in vitro. Andrology 2023. [PMID: 38131448 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, high polyspermy remains a significant obstacle to achieving optimal efficiency in in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro embryo production (IVP) systems in pigs. Developing strategies that would prevent polyspermy is essential in overcoming this challenge and maximizing the potential of this reproductive biotechnology. Previous results have demonstrated that using boar spermatozoa subjected to a high-extension and reconcentration procedure and then cryopreserved resulted in significant improvements in IVF/IVP systems with high rates of monospermy and penetration. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to unveil the molecular mechanisms that may underlie the changes in fertilization patterns exhibited by highly extended and cryopreserved boar spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS To achieve this goal, we used quantitative proteomic analysis (LC-ESI-MS/MS SWATH) to identify differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) between highly extended (HE) and conventionally (control; CT) cryopreserved boar spermatozoa. Prior to the analysis, we evaluated the in vitro post-thawing fertilizing ability of the sperm samples. The results demonstrated a remarkable improvement in monospermy and IVF efficiency when using HE spermatozoa in IVF compared with CT spermatozoa. RESULTS At the proteomic level, the combination of high-extension and cryopreservation had a significant impact on the frozen-thawed sperm proteome. A total of 45 proteins (24 downregulated and 21 upregulated) were identified as DAPs (FC > 1 or ≤1; p < 0.05) when compared with CT spermatozoa. Some of these proteins were primarily linked to metabolic processes and the structural composition of sperm cells. The dysregulation of these proteins may have a direct or indirect effect on essential sperm functions and significantly affect spermatozoa-oocyte interaction and, therefore, the sperm fertilization profile under in vitro conditions. While these findings are promising, further research is necessary to comprehend how the disturbance of specific proteins affects sperm fertilization ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum,", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Murcia, Spain
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum,", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Murcia, Spain
- Large Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research, Internal Medical Department I, TU Munich, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum,", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum,", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum,", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Murcia, Spain
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Salazar K, Novais A, Lino-Neto J, Serrão JE. Morphology of the Female and Male Reproductive Tracts and More Data on the Spermatostyle in the Brazilian Gyretes sp. (Coleoptera, Adephaga, Gyrinidae). Microsc Microanal 2023; 29:2184-2203. [PMID: 37992276 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the male and female reproductive tracts of Gyretes sp. with light and transmission electron microscopies. The male has a pair of testes with a single coiled follicle, followed by short efferent ducts, which have a similar shape and diameter to the testes. Long ducts (epididymides) with differential epithelium open in a pair of long vasa deferentia that lead to the accessory glands. Glycoprotein secretions from the vas deferens epithelium constitute the spermatostyle for spermatozoa aggregation. The female has numerous ovarioles per ovary, a coiled fertilization duct, an accessory gland, and an elongated vagina. Spermatozoa are stored as unaggregated cells in the fertilization duct. In Gyrinidae, the testes and accessory glands show diverse shapes, and the female sperm storage organs vary in shape, size, and type and may play a role in the interaction with sperm aggregates. Testes with a single follicle and vasa deferentia opening in the accessory glands of Gyretes sp. are features shared with other Gyrinidae and other Adephaga. We proposed adding this latter trait to characterize this suborder of beetles. The morphology of the reproductive organs in both sexes contributes to comparative analyses and knowledge of the reproductive biology of Gyretes and may provide additional features for systematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Salazar
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-900 Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris cedex 05 75231, France
| | - Ademária Novais
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-900 Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Mato Grosso, Campus Juína, Juína, 78320-000 Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - José Lino-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-900 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Eduardo Serrão
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, 36570-900 Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Ramírez-López CJ, Barros E, Vidigal PM, Okano DS, Gomes LL, Carvalho RPR, de Castro AG, Baracat-Pereira MC, Guimarães SEF, Guimarães JD. Oxidative stress associated with proteomic and fatty acid profiles of sperm from Nellore bulls at rest†. Biol Reprod 2023; 109:878-891. [PMID: 37702320 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioad121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual rest is a transient condition, which compromises conception rates, characterized by large volumes of ejaculate with high percentages of dead sperm observed in bulls. The biochemical mechanisms leading to this ejaculate pattern are not fully understood. Six adult resting Nellore bulls were submitted to Breeding Soundness Evaluation by four consecutive semen collections through the electroejaculation method during a 30 min period. Each ejaculate had its semen phenotypic parameters; morphology and physical aspects were evaluated. To assess enzymatic activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase), lipid peroxidation (concentrations of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide), fatty acid, and proteomic profile aliquots of spermatozoa from the first and fourth ejaculates were used. All sperm parameters differed between the first and fourth ejaculates. Spermatozoa from the first ejaculate showed lower enzymatic activity and a higher concentration of lipid peroxidation markers. Among the 19 identified fatty acids, 52.7% are polyunsaturated. Relative abundance analysis showed that C12:0 and C18:0 fatty acids differed between the first and fourth ejaculates, being the fourth ejaculate richer in spermatozoa. The proteomics analysis identified a total of 974 proteins in both sample groups (first and fourth ejaculates). The majority of identified proteins are related to cellular processes and signaling. Quantitative proteomics showed 36 differentially abundant proteins, 6 up-regulated proteins in the first ejaculate, and 30 up-regulated proteins in the fourth ejaculate. Spermatozoa from bulls at sexual rest have less antioxidant capacity, causing changes in their fatty acid composition and protein profile, which generates the observed sperm pattern and lower fertilization capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo José Ramírez-López
- Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerai, Brazil
| | - Edvaldo Barros
- Nucleus for Analysis of Biomolecules, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil
| | | | - Denise Silva Okano
- Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lidiany Lopes Gomes
- Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Alex Gazolla de Castro
- Biotechnology and Biodiversity for the Environment Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Baracat-Pereira
- Proteomics and Protein Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Simone Eliza Facioni Guimarães
- LABTEC-Animal Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - José Domingos Guimarães
- Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Mele VG, Chioccarelli T, Finamore R, D’Agostino A, d’Agostino M, Cimini D, Mattia M, Porreca V, Giori AM, Fasano S, Cobellis G, Schiraldi C, Chianese R, Manfrevola F. Antioxidants positively regulate obesity dependent circRNAs - sperm quality - functional axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1290971. [PMID: 38169845 PMCID: PMC10758610 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1290971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a pathophysiological condition, dependent on body fat accumulation, that progressively induces systemic oxidative stress/inflammation leading to a set of associated clinical manifestations, including male infertility. CircRNAs, covalently closed RNA molecules, are key regulators of sperm quality. Recently, we have characterized a complete profile of high-fat diet (HFD) spermatic circRNA cargo, predicting paternal circRNA dependent networks (ceRNETs), potentially involved in sperm oxidative stress and motility anomalies. In the current work, using HFD C57BL6/J male mice, orally treated with a mix of bioactive molecules (vitamin C; vitamin B12; vitamin E; selenium-L-methionine; glutathione-GSH) for 4 weeks, a reversion of HFD phenotype was observed. In addition, the functional action of the proposed formulations on circRNA biogenesis was evaluated by assessing the endogenous spermatic FUS-dependent backsplicing machinery and related circRNA cargo. After that, spermatic viability and motility were also analyzed. Paternal ceRNETs, potentially involved in oxidative stress regulation and sperm motility defects, were identified and used to suggest that the beneficial action of the food supplements here conveniently formulated on sperm motility was likely due to the recovery of circRNA profile. Such a hypothesis was, then, verified by an in vitro assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Grazia Mele
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Teresa Chioccarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosario Finamore
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella D’Agostino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria d’Agostino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Donatella Cimini
- Department of Sciences and Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Monica Mattia
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Veronica Porreca
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Fasano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Gilda Cobellis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Chiara Schiraldi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosanna Chianese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Manfrevola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
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Dewry RK, Mohanty TK, Nath S, Bhakat M, Yadav HP, Baithalu RK. Comparative RNA isolation methods from fresh ejaculated spermatozoa in Sahiwal cattle ( Bos indicus) and Murrah buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis) bulls for high quality and enhanced RNA yield. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:5180-5191. [PMID: 37965764 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2276713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Sperm mRNA transcriptional profiling can be used to evaluate the fertility of breeding bulls. The aim of the study was to compare the modified RNA isolation methods for higher RNA yield and quality from freshly ejaculated sperm of cattle and buffalo bulls. Ten fresh ejaculates from each Sahiwal (n = 10 bulls × 10 ejaculates) and Murrah bulls (n = 10 bulls x 10 ejaculates) were used for RNA isolation. From the recovered live sperm, total sperm RNA was isolated by conventional methods (TRIzol, Double TRIzol), membrane-based methods combined with TRIzol (RNeasy + TRIzol) with the addition of β-mercaptoethanol (BME) and Kit (RNeasy mini) methods in fresh semen. Among different isolation methods; the membrane-based modified methods combined with TRIzol (RNeasy + TRIzol) with the addition of β-mercaptoethanol (BME) resulted significantly (p < .05) higher total RNA quantity (300-340 ng/µL) and better purity in different concentrations of spermatozoa viz., 30-40 million, 70-80 million and 300-400 million sperm. The study concluded that the inclusion of BME to the combined membrane-based methods with somatic cell lysis buffer solution was best for constant increased yield and purity of RNA isolation from Sahiwal cattle and Murrah buffalo bull sperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raju Kumar Dewry
- Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
| | - Tushar Kumar Mohanty
- Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
| | - Sapna Nath
- Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
| | - Mukesh Bhakat
- Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
| | - Hanuman Prasad Yadav
- Artificial Breeding Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
| | - Rubina Kumari Baithalu
- Reproductive Biotechnology Laboratory ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Karnal, India
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Becerro-Rey L, Martín-Cano FE, Ferrusola CO, Rodríguez-Martínez H, Gaitskell-Phillips G, da Silva-Álvarez E, Silva-Rodríguez A, Gil MC, Peña FJ. Aging of stallion spermatozoa stored in vitro is delayed at 22°C using a 67 mm glucose-10 mm pyruvate-based media. Andrology 2023. [PMID: 38041502 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most commerce of equine seminal doses is carried out using commercial extenders under refrigeration at 5°C. OBJECTIVES To determine if 10 mm pyruvate in a 67 mm glucose extender and storage at 22°C could be the basis of an alternative storage method to cooling to 5°C. MATERIAL AND METHODS Stallion ejaculates were extendedin: INRA96 (67 mm glucose, non-pyruvate control), modified Tyrode's (67 mm glucose-10 mm pyruvate), supplemented with 0, 10, 50, and 100 μM itaconate. As itaconate was vehiculated in DMSO, a control vehicle was also included. Sperm motility, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, and production of reactive oxygen species were measured after collection and again after 48 and 96 h of storage at 22°C. To disclose molecular metabolic changes, spermatozoa were incubated up to 3 h in modified Tyrode's 67 mm glucose-10 mm pyruvate and modified Tyrode's 67 mm glucose, and metabolic analysis conducted. RESULTS After 96 h of storage aliquots stored in the control, INRA96 had a very poor total motility of 5.6% ± 2.3%, while in the 67 mm glucose-10 mm pyruvate/10 μm itaconate extender, total motility was 34.7% ± 3.8% (p = 0.0066). After 96 h, viability was better in most pyruvate-based media, and the mitochondrial membrane potential in spermatozoa extended in INRA96 was relatively lower (p < 0.0001). Metabolomics revealed that in the spermatozoa incubated in the high pyruvate media, there was an increase in the relative amounts of NAD+ , pyruvate, lactate, and ATP. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Aliquots stored in a 67 mm glucose-10 mm pyruvate-based medium supplemented with 10 μM itaconate, maintained a 35% total motility after 96 h of storage at 22°C, which is considered the minimum acceptable motility for commercialization. Improvements may be related to the conversion of pyruvate to lactate and regeneration of NAD+ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Becerro-Rey
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Francisco Eduardo Martín-Cano
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Cristina Ortega Ferrusola
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Obstetrics & Gynaecology (BKH), University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Gemma Gaitskell-Phillips
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Eva da Silva-Álvarez
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Antonio Silva-Rodríguez
- Facility of Innovation and Analysis in Animal Source Foodstuffs, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - María Cruz Gil
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Fernando J Peña
- Laboratory of Equine Reproduction and Equine Spermatology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
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Dip AS, Martín E, Andrada RA, Hernández MB, Miotti MD. Sperm morphology and comparison morphometry measurements of two species of bats, Molossus molossus and Molossops temminckii (Chiroptera: Molossidae). Microsc Res Tech 2023; 86:1626-1634. [PMID: 37572016 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Sperm morphology is considered a species-specific character and has been used as a tool in the classification of numerous mammalian taxa. Neotropical bats have been poorly studied, and important aspects on sperm morphology have not been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to describe and compare the sperm morphology and morphometry of Molossus molossus and Molossops temminckii. A total of 14 adults specimens were analyzed from the Colección Mamíferos Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán: five M. molossus and nine M. temminckii. The epididymis were extracted and macerated in Farmer's solution, followed by a coloration with different stains. To carry out the description and morphometric analysis, microphotographs were taken under an optical, epifluorescence, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). A total of 50 sperm from each individual were measured for morphometric analysis. The length and width of the head, midpiece and tail were taken as variables. Sperm from M. molossus and M. temminckii were practically identical, both morphologically and morphometrically. In both species, a distal bulge was observed at the end of the intermediate piece in a percentage greater than 85%. The main characteristics shared between the species were: presence of acrosomal blebs in the upper half of the head of the spermatozoa; cephalic equatorial segment with filiform ornamentations; intermembrane space of head apex wedge-shaped; helical middle piece and annulus at the end of middle piece. In the present study, SEM allowed us to visualize structures, such as acrosomal vesicles, that were not detected with other types of microscopy. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: The similarities in the sperm morphology between M. molossus and M. temminckii were observed with three types of microscopy: optical, epifluorescence and scanning electron, and supported by morphometric and statistical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofía Dip
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- CONICET NOA Sur (Centro Científico Tecnológico-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Martín
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Instituto de Genética y Microbiología, Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Rubén Aldo Andrada
- Instituto de Genética y Microbiología, Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | - María Daniela Miotti
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
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Tamay E, Palacios P, Peláez G, Saa LR, Dorado J, Santiago-Moreno J, Galarza DA. Effect of Melatonin and Caffeine Supplementation to Freezing Medium on Cryosurvival of Peruvian Paso Horse Sperm Using a Two-Step Accelerating Cooling Rate. Biopreserv Biobank 2023; 21:561-568. [PMID: 36378840 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2022.0097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This research examined the antioxidant and cryoprotective effects of melatonin (ME) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation in freezing medium on the cryosurvival of Peruvian Paso horse sperm using a two-step accelerating cooling rate. Twenty ejaculates from four adult and fertile stallions were recovered, initially diluted with INRA-96®, and finally frozen with INRA-Freeze® with either no supplementation (as control), 1 μM ME, or 2 mM CAF using a two-ramp freezing system content inside a cryogenic-box and liquid nitrogen vapors. The sperm kinematic parameters and integrity of the plasma and acrosomal membranes of fresh semen and cryopreserved samples were evaluated using the CASA system (SCA-Evolution® 2018) and PI/fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) agglutinin double fluorescent test, respectively. The oxidative stress of post-thaw sperm samples was also assessed using the CellRox Deep Red fluorescence test. The results showed that curvilinear velocity and average-path velocity were greater (p < 0.05) after freezing with CAF than the control group. In addition, there were significance differences (p < 0.01) between stallions (1-4) in post-thaw kinematic parameters regardless of ME or CAF addition. Both ME and CAF improved (p < 0.05) the proportion of sperm with intact plasma membranes and intact acrosomes. Nevertheless, neither CAF nor ME improved the oxidative stress after the cryopreservation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Tamay
- Laboratorio de Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Paula Palacios
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología de la Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Peláez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología de la Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Luis Rodrigo Saa
- Laboratorio de Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Jesús Dorado
- Veterinary Reproduction Group, Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Julián Santiago-Moreno
- Departamento de Reproducción Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego A Galarza
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología de la Reproducción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
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Pérez-Marín CC, Quevedo L, Salas M, Arando A. Ultra-Rapid Freezing Using Droplets Immersed into Liquid Nitrogen in Bull Sperm: Evaluation of Two Cryoprotective Disaccharides and Two Warming Temperatures. Biopreserv Biobank 2023; 21:554-560. [PMID: 36394463 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2022.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study analyzes the effects of different disaccharide concentrations and two thawing temperatures on the characteristics of ultrarapid frozen (URF) bovine sperm, compared with conventional slow-frozen (CF) sperm. For URF sperm, samples were diluted in media comprising 2% bovine serum albumin (BSA) and various nonpermeable cryoprotectants. Five groups were compared: control (without cryoprotectant), sucrose 0.15 M, sucrose 0.3 M, trehalose 0.15 M, and trehalose 0.3 M. In addition, the influence of warming temperatures, 37°C and 65°C, was analyzed. The aspect of different diluents (by drops) immersed in liquid nitrogen was also evaluated. Sperm quality was assessed by measuring motility, viability, acrosome status, and membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO). Moreover, the cryoresistance rate (CR) was determined. The drops immersed in liquid nitrogen showed that crystallization occurred, but not vitrification. CF sperm exhibited significantly higher scores for total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM), viability, and acrosome integrity, in contrast with URF samples. Cryoprotectants for URF sperm showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) influence on the TM and PM, viability, acrosome integrity, and CR, but not on LPO. Sperm viability was reduced after ultrarapid freezing, and the control samples were observed to have significantly lower values than those treated with disaccharides. Samples supplemented with 0.3 M sucrose exhibited higher LPO when they were thawed at 37°C. In short, a limited number of spermatozoa were able to maintain their motility and other functional attributes after ultrarapid freezing, but disaccharides showed a moderate protective effect. Samples with trehalose and sucrose at 0.15 and 0.3 M, respectively, showed higher sperm quality than samples containing only BSA. In sum, the function of spermatozoa was moderately maintained when disaccharides were used for ultrarapid freezing, although motility was significantly reduced. In addition, thawing temperatures did not modify the sperm values, suggesting that the easier procedure, that is, 37°C for 30 seconds, can be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos C Pérez-Marín
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Luis Quevedo
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Marta Salas
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
| | - Ander Arando
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
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Breitbart H, Grinshtein E. Mechanisms That Protect Mammalian Sperm from the Spontaneous Acrosome Reaction. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17005. [PMID: 38069328 PMCID: PMC10707520 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
To acquire the capacity to fertilize the oocyte, mammalian spermatozoa must undergo a series of biochemical reactions in the female reproductive tract, which are collectively called capacitation. The capacitated spermatozoa subsequently interact with the oocyte zona-pellucida and undergo the acrosome reaction, which enables the penetration of the oocyte and subsequent fertilization. However, the spontaneous acrosome reaction (sAR) can occur prematurely in the sperm before reaching the oocyte cumulus oophorus, thereby jeopardizing fertilization. One of the main processes in capacitation involves actin polymerization, and the resulting F-actin is subsequently dispersed prior to the acrosome reaction. Several biochemical reactions that occur during sperm capacitation, including actin polymerization, protect sperm from sAR. In the present review, we describe the protective mechanisms that regulate sperm capacitation and prevent sAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haim Breitbart
- The Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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Cheng X, Xie H, Xiong Y, Sun P, Xue Y, Li K. Lipidomics profiles of human spermatozoa: insights into capacitation and acrosome reaction using UPLC-MS-based approach. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1273878. [PMID: 38027124 PMCID: PMC10660817 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1273878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Lipidomics elucidates the roles of lipids in both physiological and pathological processes, intersecting with many diseases and cellular functions. The maintenance of lipid homeostasis, essential for cell health, significantly influences the survival, maturation, and functionality of sperm during fertilization. While capacitation and the acrosome reaction, key processes before fertilization, involve substantial lipidomic alterations, a comprehensive understanding of the changes in human spermatozoa's lipidomic profiles during these processes remains unknown. This study aims to explicate global lipidomic changes during capacitation and the acrosome reaction in human sperm, employing an untargeted lipidomic strategy using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Methods Twelve semen specimens, exceeding the WHO reference values for semen parameters, were collected. After discontinuous density gradient separation, sperm concentration was adjusted to 2 x 106 cells/ml and divided into three groups: uncapacitated, capacitated, and acrosome-reacted. UPLC-MS analysis was performed after lipid extraction from these groups. Spectral peak alignment and statistical analysis, using unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA), bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (O2PLS-DA) analysis, and supervised partial least-squares-latent structure discriminate analysis (PLS-DA), were employed to identify the most discriminative lipids. Results The 1176 lipid peaks overlapped across the twelve individuals in the uncapacitated, capacitated, and acrosome-reacted groups: 1180 peaks between the uncapacitated and capacitated groups, 1184 peaks between the uncapacitated and acrosome-reacted groups, and 1178 peaks between the capacitated and acrosome-reacted groups. The count of overlapping peaks varied among individuals, ranging from 739 to 963 across sperm samples. Moreover, 137 lipids had VIP values > 1.0 and twenty-two lipids had VIP > 1.5, based on the O2PLS-DA model. Furthermore, the identified twelve lipids encompassed increases in PI 44:10, LPS 20:4, LPA 20:5, and LPE 20:4, and decreases in 16-phenyl-tetranor-PGE2, PC 40:6, PS 35:4, PA 29:1, 20-carboxy-LTB4, and 2-oxo-4-methylthio-butanoic acid. Discussion This study has been the first time to investigate the lipidomics profiles associated with acrosome reaction and capacitation in human sperm, utilizing UPLC-MS in conjunction with multivariate data analysis. These findings corroborate earlier discoveries on lipids during the acrosome reaction and unveil new metabolites. Furthermore, this research highlights the effective utility of UPLC-MS-based lipidomics for exploring diverse physiological states in sperm. This study offers novel insights into lipidomic changes associated with capacitation and the acrosome reaction in human sperm, which are closely related to male reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohong Cheng
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haifeng Xie
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuping Xiong
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Peibei Sun
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yamei Xue
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kun Li
- School of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Laboratory of Experimental Animal’s & Nonclinical Laboratory Studies, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Aitken RJ, Lewis SEM. DNA damage in testicular germ cells and spermatozoa. When and how is it induced? How should we measure it? What does it mean? Andrology 2023; 11:1545-1557. [PMID: 36604857 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
This review surveys the causes and consequences of DNA damage in the male germ line from spermatogonial stem cells to fully differentiated spermatozoa. Within the stem cell population, DNA integrity is well maintained as a result of excellent DNA surveillance and repair; however, a progressive increase in background mutation rates does occur with paternal age possibly as a result of aberrant DNA repair as well as replication error. Once a germ cell has committed to spermatogenesis, it responds to genetic damage via a range of DNA repair pathways or, if this process fails, by the induction of apoptosis. When fully-differentiated spermatozoa are stressed, they also activate a truncated intrinsic apoptotic pathway which results in the activation of nucleases in the mitochondria and cytoplasm; however, the physical architecture of these cells prevents these enzymes from translocating to the nucleus to induce DNA fragmentation. Conversely, hydrogen peroxide released from the sperm midpiece during apoptosis is able to penetrate the nucleus and induce DNA damage. The base excision repair pathway responds to such damage by cleaving oxidized bases from the DNA, leaving abasic sites that are alkali-labile and readily detected with the comet assay. As levels of oxidative stress increase and these cells enter the perimortem, topoisomerase integrated into the sperm chromatin becomes activated by SUMOylation. Such activation may initially facilitate DNA repair by reannealing double strand breaks but ultimately prepares the DNA for destruction by nucleases released from the male reproductive tract. The abasic sites and oxidized base lesions found in live spermatozoa are mutagenic and may increase the mutational load carried by the offspring, particularly in the context of assisted conception. A variety of strategies are described for managing patients expressing high levels of DNA damage in their spermatozoa, to reduce the risks such lesions might pose to offspring health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert John Aitken
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive, Science, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sheena E M Lewis
- Queens University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Examen Ltd., Weavers Court, Belfast, UK
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Aitken RJ. Sperm DNA integrity: a special issue exploring the causes, consequences, and treatment of DNA damage in human spermatozoa. Andrology 2023; 11:1541-1544. [PMID: 37854016 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert John Aitken
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), New Lambton, NSW, Australia
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Marqui FN, Martins A, da Cruz TE, Berton TIU, de Paula Freitas-Dell'Aqua C, Dell'Aqua JA, Oba E. Iodixanol supplementation in freezing extender improves the antioxidant capacity of semen. Reprod Domest Anim 2023; 58:1551-1558. [PMID: 37679893 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing bovine semen freezing extender with different concentrations of iodixanol on post-thaw sperm characteristics. Six ejaculates of three Nellore bulls were pooled and diluted in commercial extender (BotuBov®) and then divided into 4 groups: control group (without adding iodixanol); groups G1.5, G3, or G6 according to the concentration of iodixanol solution (RedCushion®). After dilution, the samples were cooled and frozen. Post-thaw semen evaluation included sperm motility by CASA immediately after thawing and after 60 min of incubation at 37°C, flow cytometry analysis for integrity of plasma and acrosomal membranes, membrane destabilization and translocation of phosphatidylserine, mitochondrial membrane potential, and formation of intracellular anion superoxide (O 2 - ), hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), and membrane lipid peroxidation. The group G6 presented significantly higher (p < .05) total and progressive motility, percentage of plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity, and H2 O2 than control and group G1.5. Furthermore, group G6 showed lower (p < .05) lipid peroxidation than control. In addition, regardless of the concentration used, the percentage of spermatozoa without phosphatidylserine translocation was higher (p < .05) in all iodixanol supplemented groups. In conclusion, iodixanol supplementation preserved the motility and integrity of sperm membranes during cryopreservation and protected against lipid peroxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda N Marqui
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alicio Martins
- School of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tairini Erica da Cruz
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - José A Dell'Aqua
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eunice Oba
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Wang X, Li X, Yang F, Zhao L, Meng C, Gao Y, Guo H, Si X, Liu H, Jiang A, Li X. Research Note: Spermatozoa proteins identification in domesticated pigeons by proteomic analysis. Poult Sci 2023; 102:103088. [PMID: 37741119 PMCID: PMC10520526 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.103088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteins are considered major effectors of sperm function. However, the proteins expressed in pigeon sperm have not been explored. Here, we collected semen from meat and racing pigeons using the electroejaculation method and identified proteins in pigeon sperm using the proteomics approach. A total of 1,641 proteins were identified in the sperm of domesticated pigeons. Of which, 1,541 proteins were reliably quantified, and gene ontology (GO) and associated bioinformatics analyses indicated that annotated proteins were linked to the oxidation-reduction process, integral component membrane, and protein binding, etc. Among quantified proteins, 1,515 and 1,507 proteins were respectively presented in White King pigeons and racing pigeons, and 1,481 proteins were shared between these 2 types of pigeons, including axonemal dynein, solute carrier, cilia- and flagella-associated protein, outer dense fiber protein, etc. Proteins in our constructed protein-protein interaction (PPI) network are involved in oxidative phosphorylation, sperm axoneme assembly, cilium-dependent cell motility, axonemal dynein complex assembly, flagellated sperm motility, etc. In conclusion, this study characterized the sperm proteome of pigeons and provided a foundation for the subsequent research screening markers for fertility evaluation of pigeons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China; Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China.
| | - Xingyu Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Fuxing Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Ling Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Cheng Meng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Yuhao Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Hongrui Guo
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Xiaohui Si
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China; Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Haifeng Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China; Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Anan Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China; Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
| | - Xuewei Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China; Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, PR China
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Yazdanpanah Ghadikolaei P, Ghaleno LR, Vesali S, Janzamin E, Gilani MAS, Sajadi H, Dizaj AVT, Shahverdi A, Drevet JR, Moghadam Masouleh AA. Epidemiology of sperm DNA fragmentation in a retrospective cohort of 1191 men. Andrology 2023; 11:1663-1672. [PMID: 37280171 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The scientific and clinical communities now recognize that sperm DNA integrity is crucial for successful fertilization, good embryo development, and offspring quality of life. Despite the apparent unanimity, this criterion is rarely evaluated in clinical practice. We evaluated the sperm DNA fragmentation index of nearly 1200 sperm samples and its connections based on the patient's age, body mass index, the season of sperm collection, geographical location, medical history, and addictive behaviors. METHODS A cohort of 1503 patients who were referred to the Royan Institute between July 2018 and March 2020 was examined. Only 1191 patient records with demographic data, complete semen analysis, and DNA fragmentation index measurements were included in the final cohort. Documents were classified, incorporated into statistical models, and analyzed. RESULTS The results confirmed previous findings that the sperm DNA fragmentation index was significantly higher in aging men. The sperm DNA fragmentation index and high DNA stainability levels were significantly higher in spring and summer samples than in those of other seasons. No correlation was found between semen DNA fragmentation index and patient body mass index, although the study cohort was significantly overweight. Contrary to what might be expected, we observed that the sperm DNA fragmentation index was higher in rural than in urban patients. Intriguingly, epileptic patients exhibited significantly higher sperm DNA fragmentation index levels. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Age is the factor that is most strongly associated with sperm DNA fragmentation index levels. Our analysis of 1191 samples indicates that between the ages of 19 and 59, the sperm DNA fragmentation index increases by an average of 2% each year. Intriguingly, from an epidemiological perspective, the warm season (spring/summer) is associated with a higher sperm DNA fragmentation index in the study population, possibly due to the deleterious effect of temperature on sperm quality. Some neurological diseases, such as epilepsy, are associated with decreased sperm DNA integrity. This observation could be related to the iatrogenic effects of associated therapies. In the study cohort, body mass index did not appear to be correlated with the DNA fragmentation index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Yazdanpanah Ghadikolaei
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Technologies in Biology, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Rashki Ghaleno
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samira Vesali
- Reproductive Epidemiology Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Janzamin
- SABA Biomedical Science -Based Company, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani
- Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hesamoddin Sajadi
- Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Vosough Taghi Dizaj
- Department of Reproductive Imaging, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abdolhossein Shahverdi
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
- Reproductive Epidemiology Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Joël R Drevet
- Faculty of Medicine, GReD Institute, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - AliReza Alizadeh Moghadam Masouleh
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences and Advanced Technologies in Biology, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
- Gyn-medicum, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Miya V, Kumar C, Breed AA, Idicula-Thomas S, Pathak BR. Mammalian cysteine-rich secretory proteins interact with plasma membrane Ca 2+ exporter PMCA4b. Andrology 2023. [PMID: 37882330 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mammalian cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs) are predominantly expressed in the male reproductive tract. Knockout mice lacking two or more CRISPs show defects in sperm transport, sperm-egg interaction and Ca2+ homeostasis. CRISPs play redundant and specific roles via their binding partners. To understand this, a comprehensive analysis of CRISP interactome needs to be undertaken. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to analyse CRISP4 binding partners on the plasma membrane of rat caudal spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS Total proteins from rat caudal spermatozoa were subjected to immunoprecipitation using anti-CRISP4 antibody followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrophotometry analysis. Plasma membrane localised proteins were shortlisted, and a key target was validated by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localisation. Co-transfection followed by co-immunoprecipitation was carried out for studying the interaction of full-length as well as deletion mutants of CRISPs with human plasma membrane calcium ATPase, isoform b (hPMCA4b). Calcium assays were performed using Fura-2-AM. The cholesterol binding ability of different CRISPs was evaluated in silico. RESULTS The membrane-specific interactome of rat CRISP4 (rCRISP4) from caudal spermatozoa revealed PMCA4b as a novel binding partner, and their interaction was validated in rat spermatozoa. Human CRISP1 (hCRISP1) and hCRISP3 also interacted with PMCA4b via the N-terminal domain. Interestingly, hCRISP1 and rCRISP4 delayed PMCA4b-mediated calcium extrusion but hCRISP3 did not. In silico analysis demonstrated that hCRISP1 and rCRISP4 have higher binding affinity towards cholesterol than hCRISP3. The secretion profile of different CRISPs also showed that the ratio of secreted to cell-associated proteins was highest for hCRISP3. CONCLUSION Our study identifies PMCA4b as a target of multiple mammalian CRISPs and unravels a new role of CRISPs in regulating calcium homeostasis. Differences in the interaction of different CRISPs with cholesterol may regulate their enrichment in the lipid rafts and redistribution in the membrane post-capacitation, thereby affecting their interaction with PMCA4b.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaidehi Miya
- Division of Cellular and Structural Biology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Chandan Kumar
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Ananya A Breed
- Division of Cellular and Structural Biology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Susan Idicula-Thomas
- Biomedical Informatics Centre, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Bhakti R Pathak
- Division of Cellular and Structural Biology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Parel, Mumbai, India
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Matzkin ME, Beguerie C, De Zuñiga I, Martinez G, Frungieri MB. Impact of COVID-19 on sperm quality and the prostaglandin and polyamine systems in the seminal fluid. Andrology 2023. [PMID: 37873918 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The implications of SARS-CoV-2 infection on male fertility remain largely unknown. Besides their well-known pro- and anti-inflammatory actions, prostaglandins and polyamines are present in semen, where they play key roles in sperm quality. OBJECTIVES To analyze semen parameters, oxidative profile and the seminal fluid prostaglandin and polyamine systems in samples collected from individuals without coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis and men who recovered from coronavirus disease 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study compared semen collected from men without positive coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis with samples obtained from individuals 1-6 months and 7-30 months post SARS-CoV-2 infection. Semen parameters, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, cyclooxygenase 2 expression by fluorescence immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting, prostaglandin levels by enzyme immunoassay, ornithine decarboxylase activity by a radioactive assay, and polyamine and acetylated polyamine levels by thin-layer chromatography were assessed. RESULTS In both groups of semen samples from coronavirus disease 2019 recovered men, sperm vitality, total and progressive sperm motility, and putrescine levels were significantly decreased when compared with samples from the uninfected group. In contrast, lipid peroxidation, leukocyte-associated cyclooxygenase 2 expression, and prostaglandin D2 levels were higher in semen from coronavirus disease 2019 recovered men than in samples from uninfected individuals. While sperm concentration and morphology, ornithine decarboxylase activity, and N-acetylputrescine levels were statistically diminished in semen obtained up to 6 months after coronavirus disease 2019 recovery, these parameters remained unchanged when samples were collected 7-30 months after coronavirus disease 2019 recovery. Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination did not show negative effects on any of the parameters evaluated. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Our work provides insights into the detrimental impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on several sperm parameters, in some cases, even more than a year after SARS-CoV-2 infection, which would be accompanied by alterations in the seminal fluid prostaglandin and polyamine profiles. Therefore, future treatments targeting the prostaglandin and polyamine pathways in coronavirus disease 2019 recovered men could lead to a successful reinstatement of semen parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Matzkin
- Laboratorio de Neuro-inmuno-endocrinología testicular, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Fundación IBYME, CONICET, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cátedra 1, Bioquímica Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Celina Beguerie
- Fertilis Medicina Reproductiva, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Gustavo Martinez
- Fertilis Medicina Reproductiva, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mónica Beatriz Frungieri
- Laboratorio de Neuro-inmuno-endocrinología testicular, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Fundación IBYME, CONICET, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cátedra de Química, Ciclo Básico Común, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Cheng YS, Chen HY, Lin YC, Lin YS, Yeh YC, Yeh YH, Cheng YH, Lin YM, Weng HY, Lin TY, Lin SC. The MAEL expression in mitochondria of human spermatozoa and the association with asthenozoospermia. Andrology 2023; 11:1286-1294. [PMID: 36779514 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The maelstrom spermatogenic transposon silencer (MAEL) function in postmeiotic germ cells remains unclear, and its protein localization in human testis and spermatozoa awaits determination. This study aims to clarify the MAEL expression in human spermatogenesis and to explore its role in sperm function. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven asthenozoospermic men, 40 normozoospermic controls, and three obstructive azoospermic men were enrolled. The transcripts of MAEL in the seminiferous epithelium and MAEL downstream targets were identified by bioinformatics analysis. MAEL protein expression in human testis and ejaculated sperms were examined by immunohistochemical and immunogold staining, respectively. The roles of MAEL in mitochondria function were investigated by siRNA knockdown in human H358 cells. The association between MAEL protein levels and clinical sperm features was evaluated. RESULTS Abundant MAEL was expressed in spermatid and spermatozoa of the human testis. Remarkably, MAEL was located in the mitochondria of ejaculated sperm, and bioinformatics analysis identified GPX4 and UBL4B as MAEL's downstream targets. Knockdown of MAEL sabotaged mitochondria function and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in H358 cells. MAEL, GPX4, and UBL4B expression levels were significantly decreased in asthenozoospermic sperms than in controls. The MAEL protein levels were positively correlated with GPX4 and UBL4B in human sperm. Total motile sperm count (TMSC) was positively correlated with protein levels of MAEL, GPX4, and UBL4B in ejaculated sperms. CONCLUSIONS We highlight prominent MAEL expression in the intratesticular spermatid and the mitochondria of ejaculated spermatozoa. MAEL directly binds to GPX4 and UBL4B, and loss of MAEL induces mitochondrial dysfunction. MAEL-mitochondrial function-motility relationship might advance our understanding of the causes of asthenozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Sheng Cheng
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hsing-Yi Chen
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chiao Lin
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Syuan Lin
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Yeh
- International Center for Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Yeh
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Hsuan Cheng
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Ming Lin
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Han-Yu Weng
- Department of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of, Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Yen Lin
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Chieh Lin
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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