Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 27;24(19):14639. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914639.
Seminal plasma (SP) accounts for more than 90% of semen volume. It induces inflammation, regulates immune tolerance, and facilitates embryonic development and implantation in the female reproductive tract. In the physiological state, SP promotes endometrial decidualization and causes changes in immune cells such as macrophages, natural killer cells, regulatory T cells, and dendritic cells. This leads to the secretion of cytokines and chemokines and also results in the alteration of miRNA profiles and the expression of genes related to endometrial tolerance and angiogenesis. Together, these changes modulate the endometrial immune microenvironment and contribute to implantation and pregnancy. However, in pathological situations, abnormal alterations in SP due to advanced age or poor diet in men can interfere with a woman's immune adaptation to pregnancy, negatively affecting embryo implantation and even the health of the offspring. Uterine pathologies such as endometriosis and endometritis can cause the endometrium to respond negatively to SP, which can further contribute to pathological progress and interfere with conception. The research on the mechanism of SP in the endometrium is conducive to the development of new targets for intervention to improve reproductive outcomes and may also provide new ideas for semen-assisted treatment of clinical infertility.
精浆（SP）占精液体积的 90%以上。它能诱导炎症、调节免疫耐受，并促进胚胎在女性生殖道中的发育和着床。在生理状态下，SP 能促进子宫内膜蜕膜化，并导致巨噬细胞、自然杀伤细胞、调节性 T 细胞和树突状细胞等免疫细胞发生变化。这会导致细胞因子和趋化因子的分泌，也会导致 miRNA 谱的改变和与子宫内膜耐受和血管生成相关的基因表达。这些变化共同调节子宫内膜的免疫微环境，有助于着床和妊娠。然而，在病理情况下，由于男性年龄增长或饮食不良导致的 SP 异常改变会干扰女性对妊娠的免疫适应，对胚胎着床产生负面影响，甚至影响后代的健康。子宫内膜异位症和子宫内膜炎等子宫病变可导致子宫内膜对 SP 产生不良反应，这进一步促进了病理进展并干扰了受孕。对 SP 在子宫内膜中的作用机制的研究有助于开发新的干预靶点，以改善生殖结局，也可能为精液辅助治疗临床不孕不育提供新的思路。
