Excretory-Secretory Products of Trichomonas vaginalis Cause Apoptosis in Mouse Sperm in Vitro
10.3347/kjp.2022.60.5.357
- Author:
Jihyun KEUM
1
;
Jaesook ROH
;
Jae-Sook RYU
;
Ki-Young RYU
Author Information
1. Deptartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
- Publication Type:Brief Communication
- From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology
2022;60(5):357-360
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Excretory-secretory products (ESP) of T. vaginalis have been shown to inhibit sperm motility, viability, and functional integrity, leading to a decreased fertilization rate in vitro. This study investigated whether T. vaginalis induce apoptosis and ultrastructural changes of sperm using flow cytometry and electron microscopy. Incubation of sperm with T. vaginalis ESP increased phosphatidylserine externalization and DNA fragmentation, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Transmission electron microscopy of sperm incubated with ESP revealed abnormal features such as distorted heads, broken necks, and acrosomes exocytosis. This is the first report that demonstrates a direct impact of T. vaginalis ESP on sperm apoptosis and architecture in vitro.
