Department of Clinical Physiopathology, Andrology and Endocrinology Units, Center of Excellence DeNothe, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2011 Jan 1;16(4):1344-63. doi: 10.2741/3793.
The process of fertilization is crucial for species development and maintenance. Due to social and environmental problems, the number of infertile couples is increasing worldwide. Male and female factors contribute equally, and about 7% of men experiences problems in conceiving a child due to sperm defects. Assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs), including the most invasive intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), are the only available therapy for severe male factor infertility. Whether such techniques are associated with increased birth defects is still debated, and search for alternative options should go on. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the process of fertilization may lead to the development of new pharmacological strategies to treat infertile men and new male contraceptive agents. In addition, in view of the low predictive power of routine semen analysis, new tests aimed to better predict the fertilization potential could be developed. The present review summarizes current evidence of the molecular mechanisms involved in fertilization in human spermatozoa, with particular emphasis on the main post-ejaculatory maturation events, i.e. sperm capacitation and motility.
受精过程对于物种的发展和维持至关重要。由于社会和环境问题，全球不孕夫妇的数量正在增加。男性和女性因素同样重要，大约有 7%的男性因精子缺陷而导致生育问题。辅助生殖技术（ART），包括最具侵袭性的胞浆内单精子注射（ICSI），是严重男性因素不育症的唯一可行治疗方法。这种技术是否会增加出生缺陷仍存在争议，应该继续寻找替代方案。更好地了解受精过程中涉及的分子机制可能会导致开发新的药理学策略来治疗不孕男性和新的男性避孕药。此外，鉴于常规精液分析的预测能力较低，可能会开发新的旨在更好地预测受精潜力的测试。本文综述了人类精子受精过程中涉及的分子机制的最新证据，特别强调了主要的射精后成熟事件，即精子获能和运动。
