The sperm mitochondrion: Organelle of many functions

The world has recently experienced a decline in male reproductive (e.g. sperm counts and motility) and metabolic (e.g. obesity and diabetes) health. Accumulated evidence from animal models also shows that the metabolic health of the father may influence the metabolic health in his offspring. Vectors for such paternal intergenerational metabolic responses (IGMRs) involve small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) that often increase in spermatozoa during the last days of maturation in the epididymis. We and others have shown that the metabolic state – depending on factors such as diet, obesity and physical exercise – may affect sperm quality and sperm sncRNA. Together, this suggests that there are overlapping aetiologies between the male metabolic syndrome, male factor infertility and intergenerational responses. In this review, we present a theoretical framework for an overlap of these aetiologies by exploring the advances in our understanding of the roles of sncRNA in spermatogenesis and offspring development. A special focus will lie on novel findings about tRNA‐derived small RNA (tsRNA), rRNA‐derived small RNA (rsRNA) and small mitochondrial RNA (mitoRNA), and their emerging roles in intergenerational metabolic and reproductive health.

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“…penetrating the eggis dependent on the activation of OXPHOS in the midpiece mitochondria [78,86,87].…”

Section: Dynamic Changes Of Sperm Sncrna During Spermatogenesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Male reproductive health and intergenerational metabolic responses from a small RNA perspective

Nätt

Öst

2020

J Intern Med

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“…In contrast, at physiological concentrations, ROS are trigger for several reproductive mechanisms such as sperm capacitation, hyperactivation, acrosome reaction and oocyte fusion [36][37][38]. More recent research is changing the long-accepted dogma that ROS is ultimately a negative indicator of sperm function, thus indicating that ROS production can also reflect intense mitochondrial activity leading to increased sperm function [5].…”

Section: Reactive Oxygen Species and Sperm Mitochondriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On this account, the mitochondrion role in male fertility cannot be ignored: it is fundamental not only for sperm motility but also for hyperactivation, capacitation, acrosome reaction and fertilization. Thus, recent research in sperm physiology is focusing on this important organelle, as a biomarker of sperm health and fertility [2][3][4][5]. Mitochondrial sperm dysfunction is also implicated in the pathogenesis of seminal oxidative stress, a key element responsible of many cases of "apparently" idiopathic male infertility [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Sperm Mitochondrial Function: A Key Organelle for Sperm Motility

Barbagallo

Vignera

Cannarella

et al. 2020

JCM

102

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Introduction: The role of nutraceuticals in the treatment of male infertility, especially in the “idiopathic form”, remains the subject of significant debate. Many antioxidants improve sperm motility but the exact mechanism by which they act is still unclear. Although several studies have shown a correlation between sperm motility and mitochondrial function, the effects of antioxidant therapy on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) are poorly studied. The first aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of antioxidants on mitochondrial function and, consequently, on sperm motility in male infertile patients. Material and Methods: we performed a systematic search of all randomized controlled and uncontrolled studies available in the literature that reported sperm motility and MMP at baseline and after antioxidant administration in-vivo and in-vitro in patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia. Pubmed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Academic One Files, Google Scholar and Scopus databases were used. Results: Unexpectedly, among 353 articles retrieved, only one study met our inclusion criteria and showed a significant effect of myoinositol on both MMP and sperm motility. We then summarized the main knowledge on anatomy and metabolism of sperm mitochondria, techniques allowing to assess sperm mitochondria function and its relationships with low sperm motility. Finally, we paid special attention to the effect of antioxidant/prokinetic molecules for the treatment of asthenozoospermia. Conclusions: This is the first systematic review that has attempted to evaluate the effects of antioxidants on MMP and sperm motility. Although results are not conclusive due to the dearth of studies, the close relationship between mitochondria and sperm motility is clear. The investigation of this correlation could provide valuable information to be exploited in clinical practice for the treatment of male infertility.

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“…This tool can be used to distinguish low TMSC semen samples from those with normal TMSC levels. The activity and function of mitochondria are key to sperm function and play a key role in many sperm functions including basic motility, acrosome reaction, and final fertilization [ 3 ]. Moreover, the activity of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), one of the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes, was found to be highly correlated with sperm quality, including sperm concentration, motility, and vitality [ 4 ].…”

Section: Image Analysis and Liquid Biopsymentioning

confidence: 99%