Serafini Steven, O'Flaherty Cristian
Experimental Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Urology Division, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Hum Reprod. 2025 Aug 1;40(8):1440-1451. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deaf085.
Infertility, affecting one in six couples worldwide, poses significant health and social challenges. While both male and female factors contribute to infertility, male infertility causes remain underexplored, with about 34% of cases classified as unexplained. A few studies focus on the role of lipids in male fertility, and some lipids are rising as key players in spermatozoa. This review highlights the importance of lipids, particularly phospholipids, neutral lipids, and glycolipids, in spermatozoa during capacitation and the acrosome reaction (AR). The dynamic lipid profile of human spermatozoa is crucial for their development, maturation, and fertilization capability. During epididymal maturation, sperm undergo crucial biochemical changes, including increased production of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, which enhance membrane integrity and mobility. Increased levels of ceramide affect membrane fluidity and signalling necessary for sperm function. As spermatozoa enter the female reproductive tract, they adjust their lipid content for capacitation and fertilization. Lipid signalling is crucial for human spermatozoa, influencing their viability and fertilization potential during transit through the female reproductive tract. Lysophosphatidic acid, abundant in seminal plasma, enhances sperm motility, facilitates the AR by promoting glycolysis and calcium influx, and is important for maintaining sperm viability. The remodelling of lipid rafts, enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids, is essential for signal transduction and capacitation. Sphingolipids, particularly sphingosine 1-phosphate and ceramide, play significant roles in sperm capacitation and AR by promoting reactive oxygen species production and calcium signalling, respectively. Understanding these lipid dynamics will increase our knowledge of the complexity of sperm metabolism.
不孕症影响着全球六分之一的夫妇，带来了重大的健康和社会挑战。虽然男性和女性因素都可能导致不孕，但男性不育的原因仍未得到充分探索，约34%的病例被归类为不明原因。一些研究关注脂质在男性生育中的作用，一些脂质正成为精子中的关键因素。本综述强调了脂质，特别是磷脂、中性脂质和糖脂，在精子获能和顶体反应（AR）过程中的重要性。人类精子动态的脂质谱对其发育、成熟和受精能力至关重要。在附睾成熟过程中，精子会发生关键的生化变化，包括磷脂酰胆碱和鞘磷脂产量增加，这增强了膜的完整性和流动性。神经酰胺水平的增加会影响膜流动性和精子功能所需的信号传导。当精子进入女性生殖道时，它们会调整脂质含量以进行获能和受精。脂质信号传导对人类精子至关重要，在精子通过女性生殖道的过程中影响其活力和受精潜力。精浆中丰富的溶血磷脂酸可增强精子活力，通过促进糖酵解和钙内流来促进顶体反应，对维持精子活力很重要。富含胆固醇和鞘脂的脂筏重塑对于信号转导和获能至关重要。鞘脂，特别是鞘氨醇1-磷酸和神经酰胺，分别通过促进活性氧产生和钙信号传导在精子获能和顶体反应中发挥重要作用。了解这些脂质动态将增加我们对精子代谢复杂性的认识。
