Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
Andrology. 2021 Jan;9(1):48-52. doi: 10.1111/andr.12859. Epub 2020 Aug 5.
As COVID-19 infections wreak havoc across the globe, attention has rightly been focused on the vital organ systems (lung, kidney and heart) that are vulnerable to viral attack and contribute to the acute pathology associated with this disease. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that COVID-19 will attack any cell type in the body expressing ACE2 - including human spermatozoa. These cells possess the entire repertoire of receptors (AT1R, AT2R, MAS) and ligand processing enzymes (ACE1 and ACE2) needed to support the angiotensin signalling cascade. The latter not only provides COVID-19 with a foothold on the sperm surface but may also promote integration, given the additional presence of a range of proteases (TMPRSS2, TMPRSS11B, TMPRSS12, furin) capable of promoting viral fusion. This article reviews the roles played by these various cellular constituents in maintaining the vitality of human spermatozoa and their competence for fertilization. The reproductive consequences of a viral attack on these systems, in terms of fertility and the risk of sexual transmission, are currently unknown. However, we should be alive to the possibility that there may be reproductive consequences of COVID-19 infection in young males that go beyond their capacity to survive a viral attack.
随着 COVID-19 感染在全球肆虐，人们理所当然地将注意力集中在容易受到病毒攻击的重要器官系统（肺、肾和心脏）上，这些器官系统与这种疾病相关的急性病理有关。然而，我们不应忽视这样一个事实，即 COVID-19 会攻击体内任何表达 ACE2 的细胞类型，包括人类精子。这些细胞拥有支持血管紧张素信号级联反应所需的全套受体（AT1R、AT2R、MAS）和配体处理酶（ACE1 和 ACE2）。后者不仅为 COVID-19 在精子表面提供了立足点，而且由于存在一系列能够促进病毒融合的蛋白酶（TMPRSS2、TMPRSS11B、TMPRSS12、furin），也可能促进整合。本文综述了这些不同的细胞成分在维持人类精子活力及其受精能力方面所起的作用。目前尚不清楚病毒攻击这些系统对生育能力和性传播风险的生殖后果。然而，我们应该意识到，COVID-19 感染可能会对年轻男性产生超出其病毒攻击能力的生殖后果。
