Antigen-induced changes in odor attractiveness and reproductive output in male mice

Modulation of embryonic development due to mating with immunised males

“…It is known that antigen stimulation reduces odour attractiveness of immunised males during the first 3 days after immunisation (Moshkin et al , 2001(Moshkin et al , 2002Zala et al 2004;Gerlinskaya et al 2012b). Here, however, we assessed the effects of immunisation of males at later stages (3-9 days after immunisation), when odour attractiveness is restored (Gerlinskaya et al 2012b).…”

“…Here, however, we assessed the effects of immunisation of males at later stages (3-9 days after immunisation), when odour attractiveness is restored (Gerlinskaya et al 2012b). Thus, given our experimental conditions, we showed that immune activation does not necessarily diminish reproductive success, and under limited mating choice Scatter plots with linear fits of (a) embryonic body mass, (b) placental mass and (c) feto-placental ratio to the number of viable embryos (top panels) and the time of mating (bottom panels) for BALB/c, C57BL/6 inbred and ICR outbred strains are shown as black lines.…”

“…Thus, in populations, fertilisation by antigen-stimulated males is not an extraordinary event and might be signalled to the offspring. Previously we have shown that, despite a significant reduction in odour attractiveness, the activation of specific immunity in males increases their reproduction yield when females are presented with limited mating choice (Moshkin et al 2001(Moshkin et al , 2002(Moshkin et al , 2011Gerlinskaya et al 2012aGerlinskaya et al , 2012b.…”

The Effects of Sperm and Seminal Fluid of Immunized Male Mice on In Vitro Fertilization and Surrogate Mother–Embryo Interaction

“…Infections negatively affect sperm quality (concentration, motility, etc.) due to (1) the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the seminal fluid [ 5 ] and (2) a rise in pro-inflammatory cytokines in the male genital tract [ 6 ]. Since the immune response to any antigen includes the activation of innate and adaptive immunity, it could be assumed that any pathogenic and non-pathogenic antigens that cause inflammation and trigger antibody production may affect male fertility and offspring health.…”

“…Recent studies have shown that activation of male mice’s systemic immunity induced by a single administration of protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) before mating affects embryo growth and development [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. The increase in embryo weight and the fetal–placental index observed upon mating with antigen-stimulated male mice positively correlated with an increase in the embryotrophic granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the amniotic fluid of pregnant female mice [ 7 ].…”