Loras B, Vételé F, El Malki A, Rollet J, Soufir J C, Benahmed M
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U407, Faculté de Médecine Lyon-Sud, B.P. 12, F-69961 Oullins cedex, France.
Hum Reprod. 1999 Jun;14(6):1534-9. doi: 10.1093/humrep/14.6.1534.
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) is a cytokine with autocrine and paracrine action in the testis and potent immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, we examined the concentration of latent (acid-activatable) and free (active) TGFbeta in seminal plasma from normal subjects (n = 23) and infertile (n = 40) patients, by using a TGFbeta specific immunoenzymological assay, and a bioassay (CCL64 cell line growth inhibition) detecting any form of TGFbeta. Free TGFbeta1 was present in normal subjects at a concentration (1.82 +/- 1.06 ng/ml) close to that known to give maximal stimulation in vitro. In pathological groups, the mean concentrations were not significantly different from the normal ones. Latent TGFbeta1 was present in normal seminal plasma at a high concentration (92.4 +/- 29.2 ng/ml). In subjects with pathologies of both testis and genital apparatus, or with epididymal occlusion, mean latent TGFbeta1 concentrations were normal, whereas transferrin concentrations were lower. The concentrations found in the epididymal occlusion group indicate that TGFbeta1 is, for a large part, secreted by the genital tract. In the testicular pathology group, TGFbeta1 concentrations were 130.7 +/- 61.2 ng/ml, a mean not statistically different from normal, although higher. No differences were found between patients with high and normal blood plasma follicle stimulating hormone, and this is consistent with the notion that most TGFbeta1 in seminal plasma is not of testicular origin. The TGFbeta bioassay ensured that immunologically detected TGFbeta was present in a bioactive or bioactivatable form. Furthermore, the values found in normal and pathological seminal plasmas were usually higher than those detected by the immunoassay, suggesting that other forms of TGFbeta might be present. Together, the present data show that very large amounts of TGFbeta are present in human seminal plasma. The TGFbeta ligand assay in the seminal plasma appears to indicate no differences between normal and infertile subjects.
转化生长因子-β（TGFβ）是一种细胞因子，在睾丸中具有自分泌和旁分泌作用，并具有强大的免疫调节和抗炎活性。在本研究中，我们通过使用TGFβ特异性免疫酶测定法和一种检测任何形式TGFβ的生物测定法（CCL64细胞系生长抑制），检测了正常受试者（n = 23）和不育患者（n = 40）精液中潜伏（酸可激活）和游离（活性）TGFβ的浓度。正常受试者中游离TGFβ1的浓度（1.82±1.06 ng/ml）接近已知在体外产生最大刺激的浓度。在病理组中，平均浓度与正常组无显著差异。潜伏TGFβ1以高浓度（92.4±29.2 ng/ml）存在于正常精液中。在睾丸和生殖器官均有病变或附睾梗阻的受试者中，潜伏TGFβ1的平均浓度正常，而转铁蛋白浓度较低。附睾梗阻组的浓度表明，TGFβ1在很大程度上是由生殖道分泌的。在睾丸病理组中，TGFβ1浓度为130.7±61.2 ng/ml，虽然较高，但平均浓度与正常组无统计学差异。血浆卵泡刺激素高的患者与正常患者之间未发现差异，这与精液中大多数TGFβ1并非睾丸来源的观点一致。TGFβ生物测定法确保免疫检测到的TGFβ以生物活性或生物可激活形式存在。此外，正常和病理精液中发现的值通常高于免疫测定法检测到的值，这表明可能存在其他形式的TGFβ。总之，目前的数据表明人类精液中存在大量的TGFβ。精液中TGFβ配体测定似乎表明正常和不育受试者之间没有差异。
