Bhushan Sudhanshu, Schuppe Hans-Christian, Tchatalbachev Svetlin, Fijak Monika, Weidner Wolfgang, Chakraborty Trinad, Meinhardt Andreas
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Unit of Reproductive Biology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009 Jul 10;306(1-2):37-44. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2008.10.017. Epub 2008 Nov 1.
Infection and inflammation are relevant entities of male factor infertility. Bacterial infections are mostly the consequence of an ascending infection of the genito-urinary tract which can ultimately lead to epididymo-orchitis. Bacterial toxins and the innate immune responses directed against them may have a significant impact on male reproductive function. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) constitute the major family of pattern recognition receptors that play a pivotal role in innate immunity. In the testis, TLRs are not only found in immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells, but also in testicular somatic cells and to a lesser extent in germ cells. In this review we describe relevant bacterial pathogens found in testicular and male reproductive tract infection, new data on the localisation and potential functions of TLRs, recognition and response to bacteria with a special emphasis on uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Mechanisms by which uropathogenic E. coli subvert innate immune responses in the testis are discussed using information derived from animal model studies.
感染和炎症是男性因素不育的相关因素。细菌感染大多是泌尿生殖道上行感染的结果，最终可导致附睾炎或睾丸炎。细菌毒素以及针对它们的固有免疫反应可能对男性生殖功能产生重大影响。Toll样受体（TLRs）是模式识别受体的主要家族，在固有免疫中起关键作用。在睾丸中，TLRs不仅存在于巨噬细胞和树突状细胞等免疫细胞中，也存在于睾丸体细胞中，在生殖细胞中的表达较少。在本综述中，我们描述了在睾丸和男性生殖道感染中发现的相关细菌病原体、TLRs定位和潜在功能的新数据、对细菌的识别和反应，特别强调尿路致病性大肠杆菌。利用动物模型研究获得的信息，讨论了尿路致病性大肠杆菌在睾丸中破坏固有免疫反应的机制。
