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Molecular Connection between Hormones, Endothelium and Cytokines in Andrology

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 13760

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Davide Francomano

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Guest Editor

1. Division of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Madonna delle Grazie Hospital, Velletri, Rome, Italy
2. GCS Point, Medical Center, Rome Italy
Interests: andrology; hormon; endothelium
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Gabriele Antonini

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Guest Editor

Department of Urology, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy
Interests: endothelium; vascular smooth cell; andrology; hormones; male fertility; infertility; sexual function; hypogonadism; oxidative stress; sperm function

Dr. Enrique Lledo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Urology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
Interests: Urology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Andrology is the medical specialty that studies and treats male health throughout the lifespan.

Several studies regarding how endothelial function and hormones are involved in sexual function and fertility in men have been performed.

The current literature explains and demonstrates several mechanisms involved in male health, but the tight connection between hormones and endothelium and their role in male sexual function are still unsolved.

Cellular molecular function.

The study of male fertility is growing in response to the need of discovering new tools able to diagnose and treat the high rate of infertility and the larger demand of treatments such as medical procreation. Tests that are currently available to the clinician include enhanced semen analysis, antisperm antibody assay, sperm penetration assay, and hemizona assay. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out studies aimed to determine the key molecular factors involved in fertility and define the biomarkers that determine sperm function, such those related to DNA integrity, oxidative stress, and RNA expression profile.

Sexual function is strictly related to the endothelial function and male hypogonadism; testosterone receptors are expressed in the endothelium and vascular smooth cells. The association between coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction and male hypogonadism supports the hypothesis that endothelial dysfunction negatively affects the cardiovascular system.

The aim of this Special Issue is to update, identify, and better understand the mechanisms involved in sexual function and fertility and how they affect men’s lives.

In this Special Issue, we encourage authors to submit original research papers or review articles focused on the following topics:

Hormonal balance and endothelium
Molecular and hormonal control involved in endothelial function;
Fertility: the role of endothelium;
Hormonal changes and vascular endothelial function during aging in male sexual function;
Sexual function and endothelium, not only andrology;
Effects of environment in andrology.

Prof. Dr. Davide Francomano
Dr. Gabriele Antonini
Dr. Enrique Lledo
Guest Editors

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

endothelium
vascular smooth cell
andrology
hormones
male fertility
infertility
sexual function
hypogonadism
oxidative stress
sperm function

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Leads to Impaired Semen Parameters, Increased Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Unfavorable Changes of Sperm Protamine mRNA Ratio

by Elena Berg, Petr Houska, Nils Nesheim, Hans-Christian Schuppe, Adrian Pilatz, Monika Fijak, Marc Manthey, Klaus Steger, Florian Wagenlehner and Undraga Schagdarsurengin

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 7854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22157854 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4484

Abstract

Background: Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a frequent disease affecting men of every age and accounting for a great number of consultations at urology departments. Previous studies suggested a negative impact of CP/CPPS on fertility. As increasing attention has been attributed to additional aspects, such as sperm DNA integrity and sperm protein alterations, besides the WHO standard semen analysis when assessing male fertility, in this prospective study, we aimed to further characterize the fertility status in CP/CPPS patients with a focus on these parameters. Methods: Sperm DNA fragmentation measured by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and protamine 1 to protamine 2 mRNA ratio assessed by RT-qPCR were analyzed along with conventional ejaculate parameters and inflammatory markers in 41 CP/CPPS patients and 22 healthy volunteers. Results: We found significant differences between the groups concerning multiple conventional ejaculate parameters. A significant increase in sperm DNA fragmentation was shown in CP/CPPS patients with association to other sperm parameters. The majority of CP/CPPS patients exhibited protamine mRNA ratios out of the range of regular fertility. Conclusions: This is a pioneering study with a strong practical orientation revealing that CP/CPPS leads to increased sperm DNA damage and changes in sperm protamine levels, emphasizing an unfavorable impact of CP/CPPS on fertility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Connection between Hormones, Endothelium and Cytokines in Andrology)

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16 pages, 3730 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Antifreeze Protein III on Sperm Cryopreservation of Pacific Abalone, Haliotis discus hannai

by Shaharior Hossen, Md. Rajib Sharker, Yusin Cho, Zahid Parvez Sukhan and Kang Hee Kho

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(8), 3917; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22083917 - 10 Apr 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3291

Abstract

Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is a highly commercial seafood in Southeast Asia. The aim of the present study was to improve the sperm cryopreservation technique for this valuable species using an antifreeze protein III (AFPIII). Post-thaw sperm quality parameters including motility, acrosome integrity (AI), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), DNA integrity, fertility, hatchability, and mRNA abundance level of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) were determined to ensure improvement of the cryopreservation technique. Post-thaw motility of sperm cryopreserved with AFPIII at 10 µg/mL combined with 8% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (61.3 ± 2.7%), 8% ethylene glycol (EG) (54.3 ± 3.3%), 6% propylene glycol (PG) (36.6 ± 2.6%), or 2% glycerol (GLY) (51.7 ± 3.0%) was significantly improved than that of sperm cryopreserved without AFPIII. Post-thaw motility of sperm cryopreserved with 2% MeOH and 1 µg/mL of AFPIII was also improved than that of sperm cryopreserved without AFPIII. A combination of 10 µg/mL AFPIII with 8% DMSO resulted in the highest post-thaw motility, showing AI of 60.1 ± 3.9%, PMI of 67.2 ± 4.0%, and MMP of 59.1 ± 4.3%. DNA integrity of sperm cryopreserved using 10 µg/mL AFPIII combined with 8% DMSO was not significantly (p > 0.05) different from that of fresh sperm. Cryopreservation using a combination of AFPIII with 8% DMSO improved fertilization and hatching rates of sperm compared to that of cryopreservation without supplementation of 10 µg/mL AFPIII. Sperm cryopreserved using AFPIII showed higher mRNA abundance levels of HSP90 than those cryopreserved without AFPIII. Results of the present study suggest that 10 µg/mL AFPIII combined with 8% DMSO can be used for large scale cryopreservation of Pacific abalone sperm and for hatchery production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Connection between Hormones, Endothelium and Cytokines in Andrology)

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Review

Jump to: Research

12 pages, 1220 KiB

Open AccessReview

New Insight into Molecular and Hormonal Connection in Andrology

by Davide Francomano, Valerio Sanguigni, Paolo Capogrosso, Federico Deho and Gabriele Antonini

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11908; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222111908 - 2 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1790

Abstract

Hormones and cytokines are known to regulate cellular functions in the testes. These biomolecules induce a broad spectrum of effects on various level of spermatogenesis, and among them is the modulation of cell junction restructuring between Sertoli cells and germ cells in the seminiferous epithelium. Cytokines and androgens are closely related, and both correct testicular development and the maintenance of spermatogenesis depend on their function. Cytokines also play a crucial role in the immune testicular system, activating and directing leucocytes across the endothelial barrier to the inflammatory site, as well as in increasing their adhesion to the vascular wall. The purpose of this review is to revise the most recent findings on molecular mechanisms that play a key role in male sexual function, focusing on three specific molecular patterns, namely, cytokines, miRNAs, and endothelial progenitor cells. Numerous reports on the interactions between the immune and endocrine systems can be found in the literature. However, there is not yet a multi-approach review of the literature underlying the role between molecular patterns and testicular and sexual function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Connection between Hormones, Endothelium and Cytokines in Andrology)

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25 pages, 1572 KiB

Open AccessReview

The “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” of Endothelial Dysfunction Markers in Human Fertility

by Daniele Santi, Giorgia Spaggiari, Carla Greco, Clara Lazzaretti, Elia Paradiso, Livio Casarini, Francesco Potì, Giulia Brigante and Manuela Simoni

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(5), 2584; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052584 - 4 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3220

Abstract

Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and represents the first step in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The evaluation of endothelial health is fundamental in clinical practice and several direct and indirect markers have been suggested so far to identify any alterations in endothelial homeostasis. Alongside the known endothelial role on vascular health, several pieces of evidence have demonstrated that proper endothelial functioning plays a key role in human fertility and reproduction. Therefore, this state-of-the-art review updates the endothelial health markers discriminating between those available for clinical practice or for research purposes and their application in human fertility. Moreover, new molecules potentially helpful to clarify the link between endothelial and reproductive health are evaluated herein. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Connection between Hormones, Endothelium and Cytokines in Andrology)

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