scholarly journals FSH for the Treatment of Male Infertility

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livio Casarini ◽  
Pascale Crépieux ◽  
Eric Reiter ◽  
Clara Lazzaretti ◽  
Elia Paradiso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Idiopathic Infertility ◽  
Infertile Men ◽  
First Case ◽  
New Compounds

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) supports spermatogenesis acting via its receptor (FSHR), which activates trophic effects in gonadal Sertoli cells. These pathways are targeted by hormonal drugs used for clinical treatment of infertile men, mainly belonging to sub-groups defined as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or idiopathic infertility. While, in the first case, fertility may be efficiently restored by specific treatments, such as pulsatile gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) or choriogonadotropin (hCG) alone or in combination with FSH, less is known about the efficacy of FSH in supporting the treatment of male idiopathic infertility. This review focuses on the role of FSH in the clinical approach to male reproduction, addressing the state-of-the-art from the little data available and discussing the pharmacological evidence. New compounds, such as allosteric ligands, dually active, chimeric gonadotropins and immunoglobulins, may represent interesting avenues for future personalized, pharmacological approaches to male infertility.

scholarly journals Is there a place for nutritional supplements in the treatment of idiopathic male infertility?

2014 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Arcaniolo ◽  
Vincenzo Favilla ◽  
Daniele Tiscione ◽  
Francesca Pisano ◽  
Giorgio Bozzini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Count ◽  
Nutritional Supplements ◽  
Semen Parameters ◽  
Male Factor ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Idiopathic Male Infertility ◽  
Infertile Men ◽  
Wide Variability

Objective: Infertility affects 15% of couples in fertile age. Male factor is a cause of infertility in almost half of cases, mainly due to oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). The purpose of this study is to review the effects of nutritional supplements as medical treatment for idiopathic male infertility. Material and methods: A Pub Med and Medline review of the published studies utilizing nutritional supplements for the treatment of male infertility has been performed. Results: Clinical trials on Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin C. Arginine, Carnitine, N-Acetyl-Carnitine, Glutathione, Coenzyme Q10, Selenium and Zinc were reviewed. Although there is a wide variability in selected population, dose regimen and final outcomes, nutritional supplements both alone and in combination seems to be able to improve semen parameters (sperm count, sperm motility and morphology) and pregnancy rate in infertile men. Conclusions: There are rising evidences from published randomized trials and systematic review suggesting that nutritional supplementation may improve semen parameters and the likelihood of pregnancy in men affected by OAT. This improvement, however, is not consistent and there is a wide variation in the treatment regimens used. Well designed and adequately powered RCTs are needed to better clarify the role of nutritional supplements as treatment for male infertility.

Association of Vitamin D Status with Semen Parameters and Male Reproductive Hormones in Egyptian Infertile Men

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doaa Abou-Taleb AE ◽  
◽  
Mahran AM ◽  
Mahmoud MA ◽  
Gaber MA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Reproductive Hormones ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Semen Parameters ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Infertile Men

Background: Although vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed in human sperm, little is known about the role of vitamin D (Vit. D) in male reproduction. Our objective was to assess Vit. D levels both in serum and seminal fluid and to establish the relation between serum and seminal Vit. D levels, semen parameters, male sex hormones and serum calcium level in Egyptian infertile men. Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective case control study including 30 healthy fertile males as a control group and 60 male patients with infertility of unknown etiology. Semen samples were collected and semen parameters were evaluated. Also, seminal Vit. D level was measured. Blood samples were taken as serum levels of Vit. D, calcium, testosterone, Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) were estimated. Results: There was significant decrease of both serum and seminal Vit. D level in groups of male infertility compared to control group. A significant positive correlation was found between serum and seminal Vit. D levels in different study groups. Also, significant positive correlation between serum Vit. D level and non-progressive sperm motility. Conclusion: Our results support the role of Vit. D in semen parameters and male fertility status.

Kisspeptin and its Effect on Mammalian Spermatogensis

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Feng ◽  
Jia H. Bai ◽  
Xiao L. Xu ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Keyword Search ◽  
Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Pharmacological Targets ◽  
Puberty Onset ◽  
Sperm Functions

Background: Kisspeptin and its receptor, GPR54, are regarded as key regulators of and catalysts for male puberty onset, and also fundamental gatekeepers of spermatogenesis in mammals. Consequently, the loss function of kisspeptin or GPR54 leads to a symptom of Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism (HH) in human and HH accompanied by lower gonadotrophic hormone levels, smaller testes, impaired spermatogenesis and abnormal sexual maturation in mice. Besides its well-recognized functions in hypothalamus before and during puberty, accumulating data strongly support kisspeptin production in testis, and participation in somatic and germ cell development and sperm functions as well. This review aims to summarize recent findings regarding kisspeptin activity in the testes and sperm function. Methods: We undertook a keyword search of peer-reviewed research literature including data from in vivo and in vitro studies in humans and genetically modified animal models to identify the roles of kisspeptins in male reproduction. Results: A plethora of studies detail the role of kisspeptins and GPR54 in mammalian spermatogenesis in vivo and in vitro. This review identified recent findings regarding the kisspeptin system in male gonads, and regulation of kisspeptin in testicular physiology and male reproductive defects and disorders. Conclusion: The findings of this review confirm the importance role of kisspeptins in male fertility. Understanding their biphasic roles in testis may help to consider kisspeptins as potential pharmacological targets for treating human infertility.

Prospects for FSH Treatment of Male Infertility

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (7) ◽  
pp. 2105-2118
Author(s):  
Manuela Simoni ◽  
Giulia Brigante ◽  
Vincenzo Rochira ◽  
Daniele Santi ◽  
Livio Casarini
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽  
Follicle Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Effective Dosage ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Sperm Output ◽  
Stimulating Hormone

Abstract Context Despite the new opportunities provided by assisted reproductive technology (ART), male infertility treatment is far from being optimized. One possibility, based on pathophysiological evidence, is to stimulate spermatogenesis with gonadotropins. Evidence Acquisition We conducted a comprehensive systematic PubMed literature review, up to January 2020, of studies evaluating the genetic basis of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) action, the role of FSH in spermatogenesis, and the effects of its administration in male infertility. Manuscripts evaluating the role of genetic polymorphisms and FSH administration in women undergoing ART were considered whenever relevant. Evidence Synthesis FSH treatment has been successfully used in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, but with questionable results in idiopathic male infertility. A limitation of this approach is that treatment plans for male infertility have been borrowed from hypogonadism, without daring to overstimulate, as is done in women undergoing ART. FSH effectiveness depends not only on its serum levels, but also on individual genetic variants able to determine hormonal levels, activity, and receptor response. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the follicle-stimulating hormone subunit beta (FSHB) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) genes have been described, with some of them affecting testicular volume and sperm output. The FSHR p.N680S and the FSHB –211G>T variants could be genetic markers to predict FSH response. Conclusions FSH may be helpful to increase sperm production in infertile men, even if the evidence to recommend the use of FSH in this setting is weak. Placebo-controlled clinical trials, considering the FSHB-FSHR haplotype, are needed to define the most effective dosage, the best treatment length, and the criteria to select candidate responder patients.

scholarly journals Possible role of androgen receptor gene in therapeutic response of infertile men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 326-332
Author(s):  
Vida Firouzi ◽  
Parnaz Borjian Boroujeni ◽  
Zeinab Rokhsat Talab ◽  
Maryam Mohammadi ◽  
Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Therapeutic Response ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽  
Androgen Receptor Gene ◽  
Infertile Men

scholarly journals Extensive Assessment of Underlying Etiological Factors in Primary Infertile Men Reduces the Proportion of Men With Idiopathic Infertility

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio Ventimiglia ◽  
Edoardo Pozzi ◽  
Paolo Capogrosso ◽  
Luca Boeri ◽  
Massimo Alfano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Causal Factor ◽  
Etiologic Factor ◽  
Idiopathic Infertility ◽  
Infertile Men ◽  
Detailed Medical History ◽  
Diagnostic Work ◽  
Work Up ◽  
Diagnostic Work Up

ObjectiveUp to 40% of infertile men remain without a recognized cause (i.e., idiopathic infertility). We aimed to identify, categorize, and report the supposed causes of male infertility in a cohort of white-European men presenting for primary couple’s infertility, by using a thorough and extensive baseline diagnostic work-up.Material and MethodsCross-sectional study of 1,174 primary infertile men who underwent a thorough diagnostic work-up including: detailed medical history, physical examination, hormonal assessment, genetic testing, semen analyses; semen and urine cultures; testis color Duplex US. Men without any identified causal factor were considered as idiopathic. Six different etiological categories were established, and their prevalence was estimated. Logistic regression models estimated the risk of missing causal identification.ResultsA possible causal factor was identified in 928 (81%) men. Hypogonadism was the most frequent identified cause (37%), followed by varicocele (27%). Genetic abnormalities were found in 5% of patients. A causal factor was more easily identifiable for the more severe infertility cases, and azoospermic men were those less likely to be defined as idiopathic (OR and 95% CIs: 0.09; 0.04-0.20). Relative proportion of identified causes remained constant during the 10-year study period (p>0.43).ConclusionsDue to a more comprehensive and extensive diagnostic work-up, at least one underlying cause of male infertility factor in 4 out of 5 infertile men can be identified. Men with a less severe phenotype remain a clinical challenge in terms of establishing a possible etiologic factor. Further studies are needed to assess which subset of infertile men deserves a more extensive work-up.

scholarly journals Localization and Distribution of Testicular Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme (ACE) in Neck and Mid-Piece of Spermatozoa from Infertile Men in Relation to Sperm Motility

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 3572
Author(s):  
Mina Pencheva ◽  
Donka Keskinova ◽  
Pavel Rashev ◽  
Yvetta Koeva ◽  
Nina Atanassova
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Acrosome Reaction ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Angiotensin I ◽  
Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme ◽  
Infertile Men ◽  
Sperm Plasma Membrane ◽  
Fertility Data

Testicular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is known to play an essential role in the male reproduction and fertility. Data about tACE in cases of male infertility are quite scarce, and in this respect we aimed to study localization and distribution of tACE protein in the neck and mid-piece of spermatozoa from pathological samples in relation to sperm motility. The enzyme expression during capacitation and acrosome reaction was quantitatively assessed. In human ejaculated spermatozoa tACE is localized on sperm plasma membrane of the head, the neck and mid-piece of the tail. The immunoreactivity becomes stronger in capacitated spermatozoa followed by a decrease in acrosome reacted sperm. In different cases of semen pathology (oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia) fluorescent signals in the neck and mid-piece are in punctate manner whereas in normozoospermia they were uniformly distributed. The expression area of tACE the neck and mid-piece was decreased in ejaculated and capacitated sperm from pathological semen samples compared to normospermia. Significant positive correlation was established between tACE area and progressive sperm motility, whereas with immotile sperm the correlation was negative. Our data suggest that proper distribution of tACE in the neck and mid-piece is required for normal sperm motility that could be used as a novel biomarker for male infertility.

scholarly journals PACAP ameliorates the fertility of obese mice through PAC1/PKA/ERK/Nrf2 signal axis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wailan Shan ◽  
Shiyin Lu ◽  
Biqian Ou ◽  
Jia Feng ◽  
Zixian Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Obese Mice ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Pac1 Receptor

Obesity is strongly linked to male infertility. Apoptotic inflammatory response caused by oxidative stress in testicular spermatogenic cells is one of the important causes of obesity-related male infertility. Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) as a bioactive peptide secreted by the pituitary gland, has a powerful triple role of anti-oxidation, anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammation, and is involved in male reproduction regulation, but the specific mechanism remains unknown. The purpose of the current study is to explore the role of PACAP in obesity-related male infertility. In cell-level experiments, Mouse spermatocytes (GC-2) were treated with palmitate (PA) to establish an high-fat injury cell model in vitro and then treated with PACAP. In animal-level experiments, C57BL/6 male mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity and then treated with PACAP. The cell mechanism studies showed that PACAP selectively binds to the PAC1 receptor to attenuate palmitic acid-induced mouse spermatogenic cell (GC-2) oxidative damage and apoptotic inflammatory response via the PKA/ERK/Nrf2 signaling axis. However, this mechanism was inhibited in GC-2 cells inhibiting the activity of Nrf2. The animal experiment studies showed that PACAP treatment ameliorated obesity characteristics, including body weight, epididymal adipose weight, testes/body weight, serum lipids levels, and reproductive hormone levels in vivo. Additionally, PACAP was shown to improve the reproductive function of the obese mice, which was characterized by improved testis morphology and sperm parameters via Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway. These beneficial effects of PACAP were abolished in obese mice with testis-specific knockdown of Nrf2.

scholarly journals Long Noncoding RNAs: Recent Insights into Their Role in Male Infertility and Their Potential as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13579
Author(s):  
Shanjiang Zhao ◽  
Nuo Heng ◽  
Bahlibi Weldegebriall Sahlu ◽  
Huan Wang ◽  
Huabin Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Therapeutic Targets ◽  
Long Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Stem Cell Pluripotency

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are composed of nucleotides located in the nucleus and cytoplasm; these are transcribed by RNA polymerase II and are greater than 200 nt in length. LncRNAs fulfill important functions in a variety of biological processes, including genome imprinting, cell differentiation, apoptosis, stem cell pluripotency, X chromosome inactivation and nuclear transport. As high throughput sequencing technology develops, a substantial number of lncRNAs have been found to be related to a variety of biological processes, such as development of the testes, maintaining the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells, and regulating spermatocyte meiosis. These indicate that lncRNAs can be used as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for male infertility. However, only a few comprehensive reviews have described the role of lncRNAs in male reproduction. In this paper, we summarize recent findings relating to the role of lncRNAs in spermatogenesis, their potential as biomarkers for male infertility and the relationship between reproductive arrest and transgenerational effects. Finally, we suggest specific targets for the treatment of male infertility from the perspective of lncRNAs.

scholarly journals Role of antimicrobial peptide DEFB126 mutation in pathogenesis of male idiopathic infertility

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1115-1124
Author(s):  
E. M. Khasanova ◽  
L. V. Gankovskaya ◽  
V. V. Burmakina
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Mutant Allele ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Idiopathic Infertility ◽  
Fold Reduction ◽  
Distribution Frequency

Male infertility is a multifactorial disease, and elucidation of etiopathogenetic mechanisms of its progression is a topical issue. High percentage of the “idiopathic infertility” diagnosis is largely cased by inability to establish etiology of decrease in reproductive spermatic function. Mutation of в-defensin DEFB126 gene is supposed to affect the fertilizing ability of spermatozoa at different levels: it may decrease their ability to migrate through the cervical mucus and reduce binding capacity to epithelial layer of upper female reproductive tract, and it may also increase susceptibility for infections of reproductive tract, due to impairment of local protective function of defensins. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine possible role of rs11468374 gene polymorphism of the DEFB126 gene in pathogenesis of male idiopathic infertility. Patients and methods: The group of patient with decreased fertility included 54 male subjects, ages 34 to 42, with a control group of 19 ejaculate donors without acute or chronic disease aged 28 to 36. The indicators of sperm motility in the Moscow population were compared with individual levels of DEFB126 gene expression, as well as with estimated distribution frequency of rs11468374 alleles and genotypes among the subjects.As compared with the control group, the infertile patients exhibited a more than seven-fold reduction of DEFB126 gene expression. Analysis of distribution frequency for alleles and genotypes rs11468374 polymorphic marker of the DEFB126 gene revealed that the mutant allele is detected almost twice as often in males with infertility, as compared with control group. No cases with the DEFB126 del/del genotype were found among the control group, in contrary to 16.1% in the group of patients. The patients with DEFB126 del/del genotype exhibited 5.2-fold reduction of sperm motility. Thus, the data obtained may be used to extend our knowledge on the pathogenetic mechanisms of male idiopathic infertility and to improve techniques for its diagnostics, as well as to provide personalized approach to the treatment of male reproductive disorders. The association between carriage of del mutant allele and decreased level of sperm motility suggests a role of this polymorphism in pathogenesis of male infertility. A general decrease in the level of DEFB126 gene expression in the patients affected by infertility also presumes a contribution of defensin 126 to pathogenesis of the disorder.

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