BACKGROUND Industrial copper ingest is a common form of poisoning in animals. Zinc has an important role in the physiology of spermatozoa, in sperm production and viability. OBJECTIVE This study was set to investigate whether the adverse effects of long term copper consumption on quality of rat spermatozoa could be prevented by zinc therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty eight mature (6-8 wee...

Members of the IL-1 family are pleiotropic cytokines that are involved in inflammation, immunoregulation, and other homeostatic functions in the body. IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and the IL-1 antagonistic molecule [IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 Ra)] are present in the testis under normal homeostasis, and they further increase upon infection/inflammation. In the present study, we examined the effect o...

Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) is generated by ATP hydrolysis in the cells and also present in extracellular matrix, cartilage and bodily fluids. Fueling an alternative pathway for energy production in cells, PPi is hydrolyzed by inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA1) in a highly exergonic reaction that can under certain conditions substitute for ATP-derived energy. Recombinant PPA1 is used for energy...

Undiagnosed and untreated thyroid disease can be a cause for infertility as well sub-fertility. Both these conditions have important medical, economical, psychological implications in our society. Thyroid dysfunction affect fertility various ways resulting anovulatory cycles, luteal phase defect, high prolactin (PRL) levels, sex hormone imbalance. hormones are instrumental reproductive physiolo...

Sexual selection has had profound effects at the copulatory and postcopulatory levels, upon the evolution of reproductive anatomy, physiology, and patterns of mating behavior. This review deals with the effects of sexual selection upon the evolution of relative testes sizes, sperm morphology, seminal vesicular function, penile morphology, and copulatory behavior in the Order Primates. The conce...

Background: One of the most conventional causes of male infertility is increasing age, which has significant effects on sperm physiology. In advanced ages, degenerative alterations in germinal epithelium, decreased number of Leydig cells, and their functions affect spermatogenesis through a decrease in testosterone level. So it is important to know whether advanced paternal age is associated wi...

Cilia were present in the earliest eukaryotic ancestor and underlie many biological processes ranging from cell motility and propulsion of extracellular fluids to sensory physiology. We investigated the contribution of the touch insensitive larva B (tilB) gene to cilia function in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutants of tilB exhibit dysfunction in sperm flagella and ciliated dendrites of chordotona...

The existence of spermatogonial stem cells in the testis offers clinically relevant options for preservation and restoration of male fertility. New approaches based on male germ cell transplantation and testicular tissue grafting can be applied to generate a limited number of sperm cells and could therefore be considered important new avenues for restoration of fertility in oncological patients...

Paternal characteristics and exposures influence physiology and disease risks in progeny, but the mechanisms are mostly unknown. Seminal fluid, which affects female reproductive tract gene expression as well as sperm survival and integrity, provides one potential pathway. We evaluated in mice the consequences for offspring of ablating the plasma fraction of seminal fluid by surgical excision of...

In one of his few major oversights, Darwin failed to appreciate that male-male competition and sexual selection can continue even after copulation has begun. The postcopulatory equivalents of both direct male-male battles (sperm competition) and female choice (cryptic female choice) occur within the female's body. Recognition of this hidden, but intense, sexual competition provides new insights...