O'Leary Sean, Armstrong David T, Robertson Sarah A
School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The Robinson Institute, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2011;23(6):748-58. doi: 10.1071/RD11001.
Bioactive factors in seminal plasma induce cellular and molecular changes in the female reproductive tract after coitus. An active constituent of seminal plasma in mice and humans is the potent immune-modulating cytokine transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ). To investigate whether TGFβ is present in boar seminal plasma, TGFβ(1) and TGFβ(2) were measured by immunoassay. High levels of TGFβ(1) and TGFβ(2) were detected in 100% of seminal fluid samples from 73 boars. Both were predominantly in the active, not latent form. Interferon-γ (IFNγ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), agents that interact with TGFβ signalling, were detectable in 5% and 100% of samples, respectively. TGFβ(1) and TGFβ(2) concentrations varied widely between boars, but correlated with each other and with sperm density, and remained relatively constant within individual boars over a 6-month period. Frequent semen collection substantially diminished the concentration of both TGFβ isoforms. Using retrospective breeding data for 44 boars, no correlation between TGFβ content and boar reproductive performance by artificial insemination (AI) with diluted semen was found. It is concluded that TGFβ is abundant in boar seminal plasma, leading to the speculation that, in pigs, TGFβ may be a male-female signalling agent involved in immune changes in the female reproductive tract elicited by seminal fluid.
射精后，精浆中的生物活性因子会引起雌性生殖道的细胞和分子变化。小鼠和人类精浆中的一种活性成分是具有强大免疫调节作用的细胞因子——转化生长因子-β（TGFβ）。为了研究公猪精浆中是否存在TGFβ，采用免疫分析法对TGFβ(1)和TGFβ(2)进行了检测。在73头公猪的100%精液样本中均检测到了高水平的TGFβ(1)和TGFβ(2)。两者主要以活性形式而非潜伏形式存在。分别在5%和100%的样本中检测到了与TGFβ信号传导相互作用的因子——干扰素-γ（IFNγ）和脂多糖（LPS）。公猪之间TGFβ(1)和TGFβ(2)的浓度差异很大，但它们之间相互关联，且与精子密度相关，并且在6个月的时间内，每头公猪体内的浓度相对保持恒定。频繁采集精液会大幅降低两种TGFβ亚型的浓度。利用44头公猪的回顾性繁殖数据，未发现TGFβ含量与使用稀释精液进行人工授精（AI）的公猪繁殖性能之间存在相关性。研究得出结论，公猪精浆中富含TGFβ，由此推测，在猪中，TGFβ可能是一种参与精液引发的雌性生殖道免疫变化的雌雄信号传导因子。
