Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Developmental Biology and Neurosciences, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Mar 17;14:1170023. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1170023. eCollection 2023.
With the acceleration of life pace and the increase of work pressure, the problem of male infertility has become a social problem of general concern. Sphingolipids are important regulators of many cellular processes like cell differentiation and apoptosis, which are ubiquitously expressed in all mammalian cells. Various sphingolipid catabolic enzymes can generate multiple sphingolipids like sphingosine-1-phosphate and sphingomyelin. Present studies have already demonstrated the role of steroid hormones in the physiological processes of reproduction and development through hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis, while recent researches also found not only sphingolipids can modulate steroid hormone secretion, but also steroid hormones can control sphingolipid metabolites, indicating the role of sphingolipid metabolites in the homeostasis of steroid hormones. Furthermore, sphingolipid metabolites not only contribute to the regulation of gametogenesis, but also mediate damage-induced germ apoptosis, implying the role of sphingolipid metabolites in the maintenance of testicular functions. Together, sphingolipid metabolites are involved in impaired gonadal function and infertility in males, and further understanding of these bioactive sphingolipids will help us develop new therapeutics for male infertility in the future.
随着生活节奏的加快和工作压力的增加，男性不育问题已成为一个广受关注的社会问题。神经鞘脂是细胞分化和细胞凋亡等多种细胞过程的重要调节剂，在所有哺乳动物细胞中广泛表达。各种神经鞘脂分解酶可以产生多种神经鞘脂，如神经鞘氨醇-1-磷酸和神经鞘磷脂。目前的研究已经表明，甾体激素通过下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴在生殖和发育的生理过程中发挥作用，而最近的研究还发现，不仅神经鞘脂可以调节甾体激素的分泌，甾体激素也可以控制神经鞘脂代谢物，表明神经鞘脂代谢物在甾体激素的动态平衡中发挥作用。此外，神经鞘脂代谢物不仅有助于配子发生的调节，还介导损伤诱导的生殖细胞凋亡，提示神经鞘脂代谢物在维持睾丸功能中的作用。综上所述，神经鞘脂代谢物参与男性性腺功能障碍和不育，进一步了解这些生物活性神经鞘脂将有助于我们在未来开发男性不育的新疗法。
