Xu Jia, He Liting, Zhang Yuan, Hu Zhiyong, Su Yufang, Fang Yiwei, Peng Meilin, Fan Zunpan, Liu Chunyan, Zhao Kai, Zhang Huiping
Institute of Reproductive Health, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Front Physiol. 2021 Apr 14;12:651408. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.651408. eCollection 2021.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been an ongoing pandemic and worldwide public health emergency, having drawn a lot of attention around the world. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is characterized by infecting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-expressing cells, including testis-specific cells, namely, Leydig, Sertoli, and spermatogenic cells, which are closely related to male reproduction. This leads to aberrant hyperactivation of the immune system generating damage to the infected organs. An impairment in testicular function through uncontrolled immune responses alerts more attention to male infertility. Meanwhile, the recent clinical data indicate that the infection of the human testis with SARS-CoV-2 may impair male germ cell development, leading to germ cell loss and higher immune cell infiltration. In this review, we investigated the evidence of male reproductive dysfunction associated with the infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its possible immunological explanations and clinical remedies.
由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)引起的2019冠状病毒病(COVID-2019)一直是一场持续的大流行疾病和全球突发公共卫生事件,在全球引起了广泛关注。COVID-19的发病机制表现为感染表达血管紧张素转换酶2(ACE2)的细胞,包括睾丸特异性细胞,即睾丸间质细胞、支持细胞和生精细胞,这些细胞与男性生殖密切相关。这会导致免疫系统异常过度激活,对受感染器官造成损害。通过不受控制的免疫反应导致的睾丸功能损害引起了人们对男性不育症的更多关注。同时,最近的临床数据表明,SARS-CoV-2感染人类睾丸可能会损害男性生殖细胞发育,导致生殖细胞丢失和免疫细胞浸润增加。在这篇综述中,我们研究了与SARS-CoV-2感染相关的男性生殖功能障碍的证据及其可能的免疫学解释和临床治疗方法。