The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of a variety of environmental chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins. We hypothesized that polymorphisms of AHR may result in significant differences in sensitivity to toxic effects of PAHs or dioxins and contribute to susceptibility to male infertility. To a...

Magnetic cell sorting (MACS) using annexin V-conjugated microbeads eliminates apoptotic spermatozoa based on the externalization of phosphatidylserine residues. The procedure delivers two sperm fractions: annexin V-negative (nonapoptotic) and annexin V-positive (apoptotic). Our aim was to determine whether the sperm fertilizing potential can be improved by selecting a nonapoptotic fraction usin...

The spermatozoon is the most diverse cell type known and this diversity is considered to reflect differences in sperm function. How the diversity in sperm morphology arose during speciation and what role the different specializations play in sperm function, however, remain incompletely characterized. This work reviews the hypotheses proposed to explain sperm morphological evolution, with a focu...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is closely related to male reproduction. With the aim of investigating the possibility for uPA as a potential contraceptive target, in the present work, Kunming male mice were immunized by human uPA subcutaneous injection at three separate doses for 3 times. Then the potency of the anti-human uPA antibody in serum was analyzed, and mouse fertility was ...

ß-defensins are a large family of cationic peptides with antimicrobial activities in vitro against Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses [1]. As such, they are thought to be an important component of the innate immune system and are expressed by cells such as phagocytes and epithelia that are involved in host defence against microbial infections. The defensins fo...

Background: Infertility affects 15% of couples around the world. Male factor accounts for 40-50% of conjugal infertility. cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM) is a key factor in the regulation of the expression of number of postmeiotic genes that control spermatogenesis. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant used to treat several diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of Al...

PURPOSE Microdissection testicular sperm extraction has replaced conventional testis biopsies for men with nonobstructive azoospermia and it has become first line treatment. The current problem is that the decision to retrieve tubules is based only on appearance and there is no guarantee that the tubules removed contain sperm. Multiphoton microscopy enables label-free immediate visualization of...