Cytokines in the male reproductive tract and their role in infertility disorders

The nature, origin, and role of cytokines in the male reproductive tract are still under investigation. On the one hand, they are intrinsically involved in normal reproductive physiology, and in this respect, cytokines constitute natural components of the seminal plasma. On the other hand, cytokine local or systemic perturbations underline the pathophysiology of sperm function, and in a number of pathological conditions cytokines can appear in large concentrations in semen. A variety of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were shown to be present in human semen, such as: interleukins (IL-1α and -1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, IL-18, IL-23); tumor necrosis factors (TNFα); TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL); soluble receptors and antagonists (IL1RA, sR IL-2, sR IL-6, TNF-R1, TNF-R2); granulocyte and macrophage colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSF, G-CSF, M-CSF); interferons (IFN-γ); chemokines (IL-8); macrophage inflammatory proteins (MIP-1α, MIP-1β); transforming growth factors (TGFα, TGFβ); monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF); hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) (Maegawa et al., 2002; Politch et al., 2007; Seshadri et al., 2009).
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research