Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via P. Giardini 1355, 41126 Modena, Italy.
Center for Genomic Research, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Mar 25;21(7):2270. doi: 10.3390/ijms21072270.
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) supports spermatogenesis acting via its receptor (FSHR), which activates trophic effects in gonadal Sertoli cells. These pathways are targeted by hormonal drugs used for clinical treatment of infertile men, mainly belonging to sub-groups defined as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or idiopathic infertility. While, in the first case, fertility may be efficiently restored by specific treatments, such as pulsatile gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) or choriogonadotropin (hCG) alone or in combination with FSH, less is known about the efficacy of FSH in supporting the treatment of male idiopathic infertility. This review focuses on the role of FSH in the clinical approach to male reproduction, addressing the state-of-the-art from the little data available and discussing the pharmacological evidence. New compounds, such as allosteric ligands, dually active, chimeric gonadotropins and immunoglobulins, may represent interesting avenues for future personalized, pharmacological approaches to male infertility.
卵泡刺激素（FSH）通过其受体（FSHR）作用于支持精子发生，激活性腺支持细胞的营养作用。这些途径是用于治疗男性不育的临床激素药物的作用靶点，主要属于定义为促性腺激素低下性性腺功能减退症或特发性不育症的亚组。然而，在第一种情况下，通过特定的治疗方法（如单独使用或联合使用促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）或绒促性素（hCG）的脉冲治疗）可以有效地恢复生育能力，而关于 FSH 支持男性特发性不育治疗的疗效知之甚少。这篇综述重点介绍了 FSH 在男性生殖临床方法中的作用，从现有少量数据出发，介绍了最新进展，并讨论了药理学证据。新型化合物，如变构配体、双重活性、嵌合促性腺激素和免疫球蛋白，可能代表未来针对男性不育的个性化、药理学方法的有趣途径。
