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Biomedicines
Special Issues
Endocrinology of Reproduction and Sexuality: Insights into the Molecular Aspects
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Endocrinology of Reproduction and Sexuality: Insights into the Molecular Aspects

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 5927

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Federica Barbagallo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: endocrinology of reproduction and sexuality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reproductive endocrinology is still facing numerous challenges. Reproductive disorders can include a broad range of symptoms, including hirsutism, alterations of the menstrual cycle, infertility, and sexual dysfunctions.

Despite their high prevalence in both sexes, sexual health is often neglected in clinical practices. The identification of sexual dysfunctions can also highlight underlying conditions and predict major comorbid disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. The pathogenesis of sexual dysfunctions is complex and multifactorial, including both organic (vascular, neurogenic, endocrine, etc.) and psychological causes, which often overlap and worsen each other. Lifestyle risk factors, including smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, and excessive alcohol, as well as drug consumption, may deeply impair reproduction and sexual functions in both women and men.

This Special Issue aspires to give an overview of popular reproductive endocrinology issues and to deeply examine the molecular aspects underlying sexual dysfunctions and reproductive diseases in both women and men. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that are involved in the etiology and progression of these disorders could increase our ability to identify new targets for their treatment and their related consequences for people’s general health and quality of life.

Dr. Federica Barbagallo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reproduction
  • reproductive endocrinology
  • infertility
  • sexual health
  • sexual functioning
  • female sexual dysfunction
  • hypoactive sexual desire disorder
  • dyspareunia
  • anorgasmia
  • erectile dysfunction
  • premature ejaculation
  • amenorrhea
  • polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA)
  • male hypogonadism
  • female hypogonadism
  • contraception

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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12 pages, 2903 KiB  
Article
Development of Recombinant PLC-Zeta Protein as a Therapeutic Intervention for the Clinical Treatment of Oocyte Activation Failure
by Alaaeldin Saleh, Angelos Thanassoulas, Elnur Aliyev, Karl Swann, Azza Naija, Huseyin C. Yalcin, F. Anthony Lai and Michail Nomikos
Biomedicines 2024, 12(6), 1183; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12061183 - 27 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2056
Abstract
The sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) protein is widely considered as the predominant physiological stimulus for initiating the Ca2+ release responsible for oocyte activation during mammalian fertilization. The increasing number of genetic and clinical reports that directly link PLCζ defects and/or deficiencies [...] Read more.
The sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) protein is widely considered as the predominant physiological stimulus for initiating the Ca2+ release responsible for oocyte activation during mammalian fertilization. The increasing number of genetic and clinical reports that directly link PLCζ defects and/or deficiencies with oocyte activation failure (OAF) necessitates the use of a powerful therapeutic intervention to overcome such cases of male factor infertility. Currently, in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics treat OAF cases after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with Ca2+ ionophores. Despite their successful use, such chemical agents are unable to trigger the physiological pattern of Ca2+ oscillations. Moreover, the safety of these ionophores is not yet fully established. We have previously demonstrated that recombinant PLCζ protein can be successfully used to rescue failed oocyte activation, resulting in efficient blastocyst formation. Herein, we produced a maltose binding protein (MBP)-tagged recombinant human PLCζ protein capable of inducing Ca2+ oscillations in mouse oocytes similar to those observed at fertilization. Circular dichroism (CD) experiments revealed a stable, well-folded protein with a high helical content. Moreover, the recombinant protein could retain its enzymatic properties for at least up to 90 days after storage at −80 °C. Finally, a chick embryo model was employed and revealed that exposure of fertilized chicken eggs to MBP-PLCζ did not alter the embryonic viability when compared to the control, giving a first indication of its safety. Our data support the potential use of the MBP-PLCζ recombinant protein as an effective therapeutic tool but further studies are required prior to its use in a clinical setting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrinology of Reproduction and Sexuality: Insights into the Molecular Aspects)
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Review

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21 pages, 1728 KiB  
Review
The Role of Irisin throughout Women’s Life Span
by Federica Barbagallo, Rossella Cannarella, Vincenzo Garofalo, Marta Marino, Sandro La Vignera, Rosita A. Condorelli, Lara Tiranini, Rossella E. Nappi and Aldo E. Calogero
Biomedicines 2023, 11(12), 3260; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11123260 - 9 Dec 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3316
Abstract
Since its discovery, much attention has been drawn to irisin’s potential role in metabolic and reproductive diseases. This narrative review summarizes and updates the possible role played by this fascinating molecule in different physiological (puberty and menopause) and pathological (polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), [...] Read more.
Since its discovery, much attention has been drawn to irisin’s potential role in metabolic and reproductive diseases. This narrative review summarizes and updates the possible role played by this fascinating molecule in different physiological (puberty and menopause) and pathological (polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), endometriosis, and gestational diabetes) conditions that can affect women throughout their entire lives. Irisin appears to be an important factor for the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis activation, and appears to play a role in the timing of puberty onset. Serum irisin levels have been proposed as a biomarker for predicting the future development of gestational diabetes (GDM). Its role in PCOS is still controversial, although an “irisin resistance” mechanism has been hypothesized. In addition to its impact on metabolism, irisin also appears to influence bone health. Irisin levels are inversely correlated with the prevalence of fractures in postmenopausal women. Similar mechanisms have also been postulated in young women with FHA. In clinical settings, further controlled, prospective and randomized clinical trials are needed to investigate the casual relationship between irisin levels and the conditions described and, in turn, to establish the role of irisin as a prognostic/diagnostic biomarker or a therapeutic target. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrinology of Reproduction and Sexuality: Insights into the Molecular Aspects)
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