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Ahrari K, Omolaoye TS, Goswami N, Alsuwaidi H, du Plessis SS. Effects of space flight on sperm function and integrity: A systematic review. Front Physiol 2022; 13:904375. [PMID: 36035496 PMCID: PMC9402907 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.904375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the advancement in space exploration and the intention to establish an inhabitable human settlement on Mars, it is important to investigate the effects of exposure to space/microgravity and the associated radiations on procreation. Sperm function and integrity are fundamental to male reproduction and can potentially be affected by the environmental changes experienced in space. Therefore, this study was conducted to systematically gather, filter, and collate all the relevant information on the effects of spaceflight on male reproductive parameters and functions. A search was performed utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were extracted from the major electronic databases including PubMed, and other credible literature sources. MeSH search terms that were employed included “spermatozoa”, “microgravity”, and “ionizing radiation”. The literature search did not discriminate against papers published before a certain date due to the very limited number of articles available. However, there was a restriction on the male gender and language (English). The parameters included in this study are sperm motility, total sperm count, sperm DNA fragmentation hormonal levels and testicular histology. Following a comprehensive literature search, a total of 273 articles were retrieved and screened, 252 articles were excluded due to the irrelevance to the topic, duplication, and non-original articles. A total of 21 articles met the inclusion criteria and are included in the current study. Findings from these studies showed that sperm motility was decreased after exposure to microgravity and ionizing radiation. Total sperm count was also found to be reduced by microgravity only. Sperm DNA fragmentation was increased by both ionizing radiation and microgravity. Testosterone levels and testicular weight were also decreased by microgravity. Although there is a dearth in the literature regarding the effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on male reproductive parameters, the available findings showed that exposure to microgravity poses a risk to male reproductive health. Therefore, it is essential to develop countermeasures to either manage, treat, or prevent these consequential adverse effects. Hence, this review also highlights some potential countermeasure approaches that may mitigate the harmful effects of microgravity and associated exposures on male reproductive health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khulood Ahrari
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Temidayo S. Omolaoye
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- *Correspondence: Temidayo S. Omolaoye,
| | - Nandu Goswami
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Gravitational Physiology and Medicine Research Unit, Division of Physiology, Otto Loewi Research Center of Vascular Biology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Hanan Alsuwaidi
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stefan S. du Plessis
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa
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Wu Y, Guo T, Li J, Niu C, Sun W, Zhu S, Zhao H, Qiao G, Han M, He X, Lu Z, Yuan C, Han J, Liu J, Yang B, Yue Y. The Transcriptional Cell Atlas of Testis Development in Sheep at Pre-Sexual Maturity. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:483-497. [PMID: 35723319 PMCID: PMC8929108 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44020033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sheep testes undergo a dramatic rate of development with structural changes during pre-sexual maturity, including the proliferation and maturation of somatic niche cells and the initiation of spermatogenesis. To explore this complex process, 12,843 testicular cells from three males at pre-sexual maturity (three-month-old) were sequenced using the 10× Genomics ChromiumTM single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) technology. Nine testicular somatic cell types (Sertoli cells, myoid cells, monocytes, macrophages, Leydig cells, dendritic cells, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and leukocytes) and an unknown cell cluster were observed. In particular, five male germ cell types (including two types of undifferentiated spermatogonia (Apale and Adark), primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, and sperm cells) were identified. Interestingly, Apale and Adark were found to be two distinct states of undifferentiated spermatogonia. Further analysis identified specific marker genes, including UCHL1, DDX4, SOHLH1, KITLG, and PCNA, in the germ cells at different states of differentiation. The study revealed significant changes in germline stem cells at pre-sexual maturation, paving the way to explore the candidate factors and pathways for the regulation of germ and somatic cells, and to provide us with opportunities for the establishment of livestock stem cell breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wu
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Tingting Guo
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianye Li
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Chune Niu
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Weibo Sun
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Shaohua Zhu
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Hongchang Zhao
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Guoyan Qiao
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Mei Han
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Xue He
- College of Biological Sciences, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730050, China;
| | - Zengkui Lu
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Chao Yuan
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianlin Han
- CAAS-ILRI Joint Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Genetic Resources, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China;
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Jianbin Liu
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
| | - Bohui Yang
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
- Correspondence: (B.Y.); (Y.Y.); Tel.: +86-0931-211-5272 (B.Y.); +86-0931-211-15-5273 (Y.Y.)
| | - Yaojing Yue
- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Lanzhou 730050, China; (Y.W.); (T.G.); (J.L.); (C.N.); (W.S.); (S.Z.); (H.Z.); (G.Q.); (M.H.); (Z.L.); (C.Y.); (J.L.)
- Correspondence: (B.Y.); (Y.Y.); Tel.: +86-0931-211-5272 (B.Y.); +86-0931-211-15-5273 (Y.Y.)
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