Male infertility is a worldwide problem, as in about one in five infertile couples; the sole reason is the male partner. Amongst the various etiological factors responsible for male infertility, acute and chronic genital tract infections constitute a significant part. Different microorganisms have been linked with male infertility; with varying levels of association. These microorganisms have b...

Semen liquefaction changes semen from a gel-like to watery consistency and is required for sperm to gain mobility and swim to the fertilization site in the Fallopian tubes. Kallikrein-related peptidases 3 (KLK3) and other kallikrein-related peptidases from male prostate glands are responsible for semen liquefaction by cleaving gel-forming proteins (semenogelin and collagen). In a physiological ...

The discovery in the mid-1970s that occupational exposures to pesticides could diminish or destroy the fertility of workers sparked concern about the effects of hazardous substances on male reproductive health. More recently, there is evidence that sperm quantity and quality may have declined worldwide, that the incidence of testicular cancer has progressively increased in many countries, and t...

Human female reproductive tract development rests mostly upon hematoxilyn and eosin stained sections despite recent advances on molecular mechanisms in mouse studies. We report application of immunohistochemical methods to explore the ontogeny of epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation markers (keratins, homobox proteins, steroid receptors), transcription factors and signaling molecules (TP6...

Immune surveillance in the female reproductive tract is dependent on the interplay of many factors that include the expression of pattern recognition receptors on epithelial cells, resident leukocyte populations and hormones, none of which are uniform. The lower reproductive tract must accommodate the presence of commensal organisms whereas the upper reproductive tract is sterile. However, the ...

BACKGROUND The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed in human testis, and vitamin D (VD) has been suggested to affect survival and function of mature spermatozoa. Indeed, VDR knockout mice and VD deficient rats show decreased sperm counts and low fertility. However, the cellular response to VD is complex, since it is not solely dependent on VDR expression, but also on cellular uptake of circula...

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) has been identified in the male reproductive tract, but the role of estrogen in the male has not been well characterized. In vivo mutations in ERalpha genes have demonstrated the necessity for ERalpha-mediated action in male fertility. We asked whether both ERbeta messenger RNA and protein were present in the male reproductive tract of wild-type and ERalpha kno...

The invasion of the male reproductive tract by microorganisms, and its subsequent consequences for sperm fertilizing potential, has been intensely discussed. The role of the bacteria that are responsible for the colonization and contamination of the male urogenital tract, rather than its infection, in diminished sperm parameters raises the most controversy. There are numerous premises suggestin...