Plants for male fertility regulation

The importance of drugs of plant origin in the pursuit of fertility regulating agents for the male from natural products has long been recognized. This review includes 80 plants with 205 references, up to year 2002. The type of extract, dose, animal model and pharmacological activity of these materials have been reviewed in this paper to add impetus to further research and collaboration to resolve the problem of population explosion.     

Expression profiles and single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis of human HANP1/H1T2 encoding a histone H1-like protein

Recently we cloned the Hanp1 cDNA that encodes a histone H1-like haploid germ cell-specific nuclear protein in the mouse. Homozygous Hanp1 mutant male mice were infertile, while females were fertile. Although a substantial number of sperm were recovered from the epididymis, their shape and function were abnormal. Hanp1 protein is essential for nuclear formation in functional spermatozoa, and is specifically involved in the replacement of histones with protamines during spermiogenesis. To investigate the roles of human HANP1 (h-HANP1) and its relation to male infertility, we isolated h-HANP1 cDNA from a human cDNA plasmid library using mouse Hanp1 cDNA as a probe. h-HANP1 is expressed in the testes and its genomic construct also intronless as mouse Hanp1. We found that the h-HANP1 coding region have 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Japanese men.     

CHROMATIN REMODELING IN SPERMATIDS: A SENSITIVE STEP FOR THE GENETIC INTEGRITY OF THE MALE GAMETE

Several causes of male infertility remain idiopathic. Recently, the condensed state of the sperm head has been demonstrated as a discriminating parameter for the assessment of male fertility. Altered DNA condensation is associated with an increase in DNA strand breakage so the genetic integrity of the male gamete is threatened. The origin of the DNA strand breaks is unknown. However, transient DNA strand breaks appear in the whole population of elongating spermatids during mid-spermiogenesis steps. Most likely, these transient breaks are required to support the change in DNA topology associated with chromatin remodeling at these steps. Histones hyperacetylation is also coincident with the DNA strand breakage steps. Hyperacetylation of histones may represent a necessary condition for strand breakages to form allowing access to the yet unknown enzymatic activity involved in the removal of DNA supercoils. A better characterization of this enzyme activity at these steps is necessary as this may represent a very sensitive process where alterations in the genetic integrity of the male gamete may arise and persist up to the mature spermatozoa. During the chromatin remodeling in spermatids, the combined DNA-condensing activities provided by the basic transition proteins and protamines may optimize the strand repair process emphasizing the link between altered sperm DNA condensation and DNA fragmentation. The mutagenic potential of these events may have been overlooked as it may result in fertility and/or developmental problems.     

微囊藻毒素-LR对秀丽线虫精子形成的毒性作用

目的： 探讨微囊藻毒素-LR(MC-LR)对模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫精子形成的毒性作用。 方法：L4期him-5雄虫分别暴露于0.1、1、10和100 μg/L的MC-LR中,染毒48 h。通过测定精细胞大小和体外活化率分别观察MC-LR对精子竞争力和活化能力的影响,并利用实时荧光定量PCR测定相关基因表达水平,用杂交试验验证MC-LR对雄虫生育力的影响。 结果：暴露48 h后,100 μg/L 组秀丽隐杆线虫精细胞与对照组相比周长和面积均显著减小(P均<0.01);10和100 μg/L染毒组精细胞体外活化率显著下降(P均<0.01);spe-10和spe-15基因在染毒组出现了表达水平下调的现象;各染毒组后代数目与对照组相比差异均无统计意义(P均＞0.05)。 结论：MC-LR对秀丽隐杆线虫精子形成过程具有一定的毒性作用。     

Spermiogenesis and sperm ultrastructure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carmyerius endopapillatus</Emphasis> (Digenea,Gastrothylacidae), a parasite of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bos taurus</Emphasis> in Senegal

Ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis and of the spermatozoon of Carmyerius endopapillatus has enabled to describe some characteristics of this digenea. The intercentriolar body situated between the two striated roots and the two centrioles, presents a symmetric organization. Both external bands of this intercentriolar body are made up of a row of granules. During spermiogenesis, a flagellar rotation of 90° is described. The old spermatid does not present external ornamentations. The spermatozoon is characterized, in its anterior region, by the presence of a lateral expansion exhibiting one spinelike body. In C. endopapillatus, external ornamentations are localized only at the level where the lateral expansion appears. The posterior extremity of spermatozoon exhibits a nucleus surrounded by a plasmic membrane lacking microtubules, but presenting a small lateral expansion. This is the first species of Gastrothylacidae family studied by transmission electron microscopy.     

Differentiation of spermatogenic cells during in-vitro culture of testicular biopsy samples from patients with obstructive azoospermia: effect of recombinant follicle stimulating hormone

In-vitro differentiation of spermatogenic cells is a potentialapproach to the treatment of male sterility due to spermatogenicarrest. This is a pilot study evaluating meiotic, morphogeneticand cytoplasmic maturation of spermatogenic cells from 18 patientswith obstructive azoospermia, during in-vitro culture of partlydisintegrated testicular biopsy samples in the presence or absenceof recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH). Meioticprogression was detectable only in the presence of rFSH in culturemedium. FSH-dependent condensation, peripheral migration andprotrusion of spermatid nuclei, together with FSH-independentflagellar growth, were the main events indicating post-meioticsperm cell differentiation. rFSH also promoted the progressionof spermatid cytoplasmic maturation, reflected by accelerationof acrosomal development. These differentiation events appearedto be mediated by humoral activity of Sertoli cells, withoutthe need for a direct Sertoli-sperm cell contact. These findingsprovide a background for similar studies in patients with non-obstructiveazoospermia. If reproducible in the latter group, transmeioticin-vitro differentiation of primary spermatocytes may be usefulin cases of complete maturation arrest, whereas the developmentof culture-specific forms may help select viable spermatidsin cases of complete spermiogenesis failure.