Lipopolysaccharide affects male reproductive function through Toll-like receptors.
- Author:
Xu-Xin ZHAN
1
;
Xing-Rong QING
;
Xue-Jun SHANG
;
Yu-Feng HUANG
Author Information
1. Department of Andrology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China. zhanxuxin3968@163.com
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Genital Diseases, Male;
metabolism;
pathology;
Gram-Negative Bacteria;
metabolism;
Humans;
Infertility, Male;
metabolism;
pathology;
Inflammation;
Lipopolysaccharides;
adverse effects;
Male;
Toll-Like Receptors;
metabolism
- From:
National Journal of Andrology
2013;19(2):163-168
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Reproductive tract infection is one of the factors of male infertility, but the mechanisms responsible are hitherto poorly defined. Recent studies show that one of the microbial pattern-recognition receptors, Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, plays a critical role in inflammation-induced male infertility. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component in the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, could induce inflammatory response through TLRs. A large number of researches suggest that TLRs express widely in the male reproductive tract and LPS-induced inflammatory reaction through TLRs may affect male fertility. This article presents an overview on how LPS-induced inflammation through TLRs affects male fertility in terms of its influence on the testis, epididymis and sperm quality.
