Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia
Autophagy is regarded as an essential process for maintaining cell homeostasis. However, its role in the regulation of sperm motility is still less understood. In this study, we found that mitochondrial oxidative species (mROS) levels were elevated, but ATP levels and mitochondrial membrane potentia...
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| Format: | Article |
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PeerJ Inc.
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/18827.pdf |
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| author | Xiaona Wang Shiyuan Huang Yu Zhao Hua Chen Linzhi Yan Hongshan Ge Xinmei Wu |
| author_facet | Xiaona Wang Shiyuan Huang Yu Zhao Hua Chen Linzhi Yan Hongshan Ge Xinmei Wu |
| author_sort | Xiaona Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Autophagy is regarded as an essential process for maintaining cell homeostasis. However, its role in the regulation of sperm motility is still less understood. In this study, we found that mitochondrial oxidative species (mROS) levels were elevated, but ATP levels and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels were reduced in human sperm with low motility (also called asthenozoospermia, AS) as compared to normal human sperm (normal sperm, NS). Immunocytochemistry staining showed that LC3 was mainly located in the neck of sperm. Western blot analysis showed that AS patients had elevated levels of the autophagy-related proteins LC3, Atg5, Atg7, and Beclin1. Flow cytometry showed that 3-MA treatment reduced sperm motility and MMP, but increased mROS. The results indicate that autophagy is essential for the clearance of mROS in sperm and the maintenance of mitochondrial function. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0cdb118b74a94ae8bfd6bd10bdf12aae |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj-art-0cdb118b74a94ae8bfd6bd10bdf12aae2025-08-20T02:13:56ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-02-0113e1882710.7717/peerj.18827Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermiaXiaona Wang0Shiyuan Huang1Yu Zhao2Hua Chen3Linzhi Yan4Hongshan Ge5Xinmei Wu6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaThe Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taizhou People’s Hospital, Taizhou/The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Taizhou, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, ChinaAutophagy is regarded as an essential process for maintaining cell homeostasis. However, its role in the regulation of sperm motility is still less understood. In this study, we found that mitochondrial oxidative species (mROS) levels were elevated, but ATP levels and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels were reduced in human sperm with low motility (also called asthenozoospermia, AS) as compared to normal human sperm (normal sperm, NS). Immunocytochemistry staining showed that LC3 was mainly located in the neck of sperm. Western blot analysis showed that AS patients had elevated levels of the autophagy-related proteins LC3, Atg5, Atg7, and Beclin1. Flow cytometry showed that 3-MA treatment reduced sperm motility and MMP, but increased mROS. The results indicate that autophagy is essential for the clearance of mROS in sperm and the maintenance of mitochondrial function.https://peerj.com/articles/18827.pdfAutophagyMitochondriaReactive oxidative speciesHuman sperm |
| spellingShingle | Xiaona Wang Shiyuan Huang Yu Zhao Hua Chen Linzhi Yan Hongshan Ge Xinmei Wu Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia PeerJ Autophagy Mitochondria Reactive oxidative species Human sperm |
| title | Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| title_full | Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| title_fullStr | Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| title_short | Activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ROS in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| title_sort | activation of autophagy is required for clearance of mitochondrial ros in patients with asthenozoospermia |
| topic | Autophagy Mitochondria Reactive oxidative species Human sperm |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18827.pdf |
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