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Male factor infertility

Inflammasome might contribute to impaired fertility of men with spinal cord injury

Nature Reviews Urology volume 9, page 670 (2012)Cite this article

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Infertility is a serious issue for men who have suffered spinal cord injury (SCI). As well as erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction resulting from neurological trauma, injured men also demonstrate low sperm motility and viability, the reasons for which are unclear. Newly published research from the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis suggests the inflammasome might be involved.

Identifying the mechanisms responsible for poor-quality sperm in men with SCI was not easy. “Our early investigations examined lifestyle factors, such as infrequency of ejaculation and elevated scrotal temperature from sitting in a wheelchair, as well as time since injury and frequent UTIs, but none of these factors could explain the problem,” remarks Emad Ibrahim, corresponding author of the study. A breakthrough came when the researchers discovered it was the seminal plasma that was abnormal in these patients, containing high levels of inflammatory cytokines that exert a toxic effect on sperm.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Zhang, X. et al. Involvement of the inflammasome in abnormal semen quality of men with spinal cord injury. Fertil. Steril. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.09.004

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  1. Sarah Payton
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Payton, S. Inflammasome might contribute to impaired fertility of men with spinal cord injury. Nat Rev Urol 9, 670 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2012.194

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