Reproduction & Fertility最新文献

Lay summary: Anabolic steroids (also known as 'steroids') are banned drugs like testosterone, which make muscles bigger in men. These drugs are dangerous because they stop the testes from making natural testosterone and can cause heart attacks. Men stopping steroids have very low testosterone, which makes them feel weak, depressed, suicidal, infertile, and unable to have erections. We surveyed over 100 doctors to find out how they treat men giving up steroids. We report that doctors differ widely in the way they treat these men. Most doctors simply advise men to wait for the natural recovery of testosterone levels to happen. But 20% of doctors give men drugs to boost testosterone and make men feel better. Unfortunately, many patients had not recovered by the time of our survey. In summary, our survey highlights differences and limitations in the treatment of men giving up steroids. The use of steroids is increasing rapidly among young men, so we recommend further work to improve the treatment of men who are motivated to give up steroids.

Objective: Germ cells of transwomen are affected by gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). Fertility will be lost after surgical intervention; thereby, fertility preservation becomes an increasingly imortant topic. This study investigated if the absolute number of spermatogonia in transwomen is comparable at the time of gender-affirming surgery (GAS) to that in pre-pubertal boys.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of testicular tissues from 25 selected subjects, which had undergone a comparable sex hormone therapy regimen using cyproterone acetate (10 or 12.5 mg) and estrogens. As controls, testicular biopsies of five cisgender adult men (aged 35-48 years) and five pre-/pubertal boys (5-14 years) were included. Testicular tissues were immunohistochemically stained for MAGE A4-positive cells, the most advanced germ cell type. The number of spermatogonia per area was assessed. Clinical values and serum hormone values for FSH, LH, testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol and prolactin were determined on the day of GAS for correlation analyses.

Results: Round spermatids were the most advanced germ cell type in 3 subjects, 5 had an arrest at spermatocyte stage, while 17 showed a spermatogonial arrest. On average, testicular tissues of transwomen contained 25.15 spermatogonia/mm3, a number that was significantly reduced compared to the two control groups (P < 0.01, adult 80.65 spermatogonia/mm3 and pre-/pubertal boys 78.55 spermatogonia/mm3). Linear regression analysis revealed that testes with higher weight and high LH contained more spermatogonia.

Conclusion: Irrespective of treatment dose or duration, spermatogenesis was impaired. Spermatogonial numbers were significantly reduced in transwomen compared to the control groups.

Lay summary: When transwomen go through treatment to confirm their gender, their germ cells are affected. They lose their fertility after surgery, so fertility preservation becomes an important topic. We carried out a study looking at tissue from testes of 25 people who had been through the same sex hormone therapy until surgery. Blood samples were also taken. As controls, samples were taken from the testes of cisgender boys and adult men. On average, the samples from the testes of transwomen contained a smaller number of early sperm cells compared to the two control groups. Regardless of the dose or length of hormone treatment, the fertility of transwomen was significantly reduced so that counseling about fertility preservation should be offered before hormone therapy.

Lay summary: Men and boys with cancer treated with chemotherapy are known to have reduced fertility following their treatment. This is because some chemotherapy drugs can damage the cells in the testicles that make sperm. This study found there is limited information available on the effect of one group of chemotherapy drugs, called taxanes, on testicular function and fertility. More studies are needed to aid clinicians in advising patients on how this taxane-based chemotherapy may affect their future fertility.

Sperm cryopreservation for men with severely impaired spermatogenesis is one of the commonest reasons for short-term sperm storage, usually in advance of fertility treatment. Cryopreservation is generally very effective, although not all spermatozoa survive the process of freezing and thawing. This review considers various aspects of freezing sperm, including an overview of methods, appropriate use of cryoprotectants and practical considerations, as well as oxidative stress and mechanisms of cell cryodamage.

Seminal plasma contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that vehicle RNA, proteins, and other molecules able to influence the biological function of sperm. The aim of this study was to improve the fertilizing capacity of male gametes of low-fertility bulls using EVs isolated by ultracentrifugation from the seminal plasma of a bull of proven fertility. After dose-response curve, 10×106 sperm of low-fertility bulls were co-incubated for an hour with 400×106 EVs/ml. In addition, it has been verified that the incorporation of EVs, which takes place in the sperm midpiece, is maintained for 5 hours and even after cryopreservation. Subsequently, the spermatozoa of low-fertility bulls, with EVs incorporated, were used for the in vitro production of embryos. The rate of blastocyst at seventh day yield in vitro, with the use of sperm with EVs incorporated, increased by about twice the yield obtained with the same sperm in the absence of EVs: bulls having an average embryonic yield of 6.41±1.48%, 10.32±4.34% and 10.92±0.95% improved their yield to 21.21±1.99%, 22.17±6.09% and 19.99±5.78%, respectively (P<0.05). These encouraging results suggest that it might be possible to keep breeding bulls with poor fertility. Further studies will be needed to evaluate the in vivo fertility of sperm treated with EVs and understand how the content of EVs is involve in the sperm-vesicle interaction and in the improved sperm performance.

Yellowish myotis present a seasonal reproduction, influenced by rainfall distribution, in which the testis mass, germ cell composition, and brown adipose tissue mass change along the reproductive stages. In the present study, tissue xenografts were performed in immunodeficient mice to investigate spermatogenesis development in a stable endocrine milieu and the possible androgenic role of brown adipose tissue. Forty-one adult male bats were captured in the Santuário do Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The gonads and brown adipose tissue were collected, weighed, and grafted under the mice's back skin. Mice biometric and hormonal data were evaluated after grafting, and the testis grafts and mice gonads were fixed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. As a result, testis grafts from adult bats presented a continuous germ cell development in all reproductive phases, showing round spermatids in all testis tissues. Furthermore, testis fragments in the Rest stage presented elongating spermatids as the most advanced germ cell type in the seminiferous epithelium after seven months of grafting. These data indicated that yellowish myotis spermatogenesis could be continued (presenting a constant spermatogonial differentiation) in a stable endocrine milieu, as found in mice. In addition, the best spermatogenic development was achieved when testis fragments were transplanted at their lowest activity (Rest stage). Regarding the brown adipose tissue grafts, the adipose tissue consumption by mice increased seminal vesicle mass and testosterone serum levels. This data proved that the brown adipose tissue is related to testosterone synthesis, which may be critical in stimulating the differentiation of spermatogonia in yellowish myotis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine metabolic disorder that appears to have a genetic predisposition and a fetal origin. The fetal ovary has two major somatic cell types shown previously to be of different cellular origins, different morphologies and to differentially express 15 genes. We isolated the somatic gonadal ridge epithelial-like (GREL) cells (n = 7) and ovarian fetal fibroblasts (n = 6) by clonal expansion. Using qRT-PCR, we compared the gene expression levels of PCOS candidate genes with previous data on the expression levels in whole fetal ovaries across gestation. We also compared these levels with those in bovine adult ovarian cells including fibroblasts (n = 4), granulosa cells (n = 5) and surface epithelial cells (n = 5). Adult cell types exhibited clear differences in the expression of most genes. In fetal ovarian cells, DENND1A and ERBB3 had significantly higher expression in GREL cells. HMGA2 and TGFB1I1 tended to have higher expression in fetal fibroblasts than GREL cells. Another 19 genes did not exhibit differences between GREL cells and fetal fibroblasts and FBN3, FSHB, LHCGR, FSHR and ZBTB16 were very lowly expressed in GREL cells and fibroblasts. The culture of fetal fibroblasts in EGF-containing medium resulted in lower expression of NEIL2, but higher expression of MAPRE1 compared to culture in the absence of EGF. Thus, the two fetal ovarian somatic cell types mostly lacked differential expression of PCOS candidate genes.

Risk factors associated with equine reproductive efficiency have been identified along with those associated specifically with early pregnancy loss (EPL). In contrast, no studies have reported risk factors associated with abortion (loss between day 70 and 300 post-cover). Given the causes of abortion differ to those of EPL, likely too will the risk factors. A retrospective cohort study was carried out to identify risk factors associated with abortion in UK and Irish based Thoroughbreds, collecting data on 20 exposure variables over a five-year period. A generalized linear mixed model was utilized to evaluate the associations between exposure variables and abortion, with clustering of observations accounted for at the mare and farm level. Variables with a likelihood ratio test (LRT) p value <0.2 were entered into the model in a forward stepwise approach. Pregnancy outcome was available on 4,439 pregnancies from 2,510 mares. Having had two or more prior abortions (odds ratio (OR) 7.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.86, 21.88), conceiving on the second or subsequent covered estrous cycle (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.22, 2.78) and conceiving multiple conceptuses (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.02, 2.76) were associated with an increased risk of abortion compared to null parous, first estrous cycle covers and singleton conceptions respectively. Increasing paternal age (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90, 0.99) was associated with a decreasing risk of abortion. Mare and farm variance were not significant in the final model, LRT p=0.43. These findings provide evidence-based data to inform Thoroughbred breeding management practices to help mitigate abortion risk.

Abstract: Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is an extensively used plasticizer which has raised some concerns about its safety on human health. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of vanillic acid (VA) and vitamin C (VC) supplementation on DEHP-induced testicular toxicity. Thirty-five adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups (A-G) (n = 5) receiving distilled water; 250 mg/kg bw of DEHP only; 30 mg/kg bw of VA and 250 mg/kg bw of DEHP; 30 mg/kg bw of VC and 250 mg/kg bw of DEHP; 30 mg/kg bw of DEHP plus 30 mg/kg bw of VA and 30 mg/kg bw of VC; 30 mg/kg bw of VA only; and 30 mg/kg bw of VC only, respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood was taken from the heart via cardiac puncture and stored, semen was collected from the caudal epididymis for immediate sperm analysis, while the testes were excised and preserved for histological examination and biochemical analysis. The results showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in body weights, sperm motility, sperm volume, sperm viability and count, antioxidant levels, and reproductive hormonal levels, with a significant increase (P < 0.05) in sperm morphological defect and lipid peroxidation level in DEHP-only group compared with the control but was ameliorated after VA and VC administration compared to the DEHP-only treated animals. VA and VC supplementation attenuated the toxic effects of DEHP on the testicular functions, morphology, and semen characterization of the experimental adult male Wistar rats.

Lay summary: Male infertility is considered when identifiable female causes of infertility are excluded and semen quantity and quality fail to fulfil World Health Organization criteria. From conception through to adulthood, people are exposed to limitless environmental toxicants among which di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) commonly found in personal care products, cosmetics, and medical devices is prevalent. The present study elaborated on the importance of taking antioxidant-rich foods containing vitamin C and vanillic acid, such as those found in various fruits, olives, whole wheat, and cereal grains, in combating infertility caused by environmental toxicants. An experiment was carried out on rats to see the effect of vanillic acid and vitamin C supplementation on preventing DEHP-induced testicular toxicity. The testicles and semen were analyzed from five rats in each treated and control groups. The data led us to conclude that vanillic acid and vitamin C supplementation do have attenuating effects on DEHP-induced testicular toxicity, due to their high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.