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PMID: 29704899 Published · epublish English Journal Article Review

The enigmatic seminal plasma: a proteomics insight from ejaculation to fertilization.

Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E ·Vol. 16 ·No. 1 ·2018-04-28 ·Pages 41

Samanta L, Parida R, Dias TR, Agarwal A

Abstract

The 'omics' approach for a noninvasive diagnosis of male reproductive system disorders has gained momentum during the last decade, particularly from a screening and prognosis point of view. Due to the rapid development in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) over the years, the major focus of proteomic studies has been around the ejaculated spermatozoa. Although seminal plasma is not a requirement for ART, the question arose whether the role of seminal plasma is merely to transport spermatozoa. Seminal plasma (SP) contains a large diversity of proteins that are essential not only for sperm transport, but also for sperm protection and maturation. Most of the proteins bind to sperm surface through exosomes (epididymosomes and prostasomes), modulating sperm function, interaction with the female reproductive tract and finally fertilization. This review focuses on the state-of-art discoveries regarding SP proteome and its role in fertilization. Tissue-specific proteins in the SP have emerged as fundamental contributors for protein biomarker discovery. This is important for a noninvasive diagnosis of male infertility and development of new therapeutic approaches. Moreover, ART success rates may be improved by taking into account the critical role of seminal proteome in fertilization.

Keywords
Assisted reproductive technologies Cytokines Epididymosomes Exosomes Female reproductive tract Male infertility Prostasomes Proteomics Seminal plasma
MeSH Terms
Biomarkers/metabolism Ejaculation Fertilization Humans Male Proteome Proteomics Semen/metabolism Spermatozoa/physiology
Chemicals
Biomarkers Proteome
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Samanta Luna ORCID
American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, 10681 Carnegie Avenue, Desk X11, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. | Redox Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha, 753003, India.
Parida Rajeshwari
Redox Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha, 753003, India.
Dias Tania R ORCID
American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, 10681 Carnegie Avenue, Desk X11, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. | Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal. | Department of Microscopy, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar and Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal. | LAQV/REQUIMTE - Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
Agarwal Ashok ORCID
American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, 10681 Carnegie Avenue, Desk X11, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. [email protected].
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Article Info
Journal
Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E
Abbr.
Reprod Biol Endocrinol
ISSN
1477-7827
DOI
10.1186/s12958-018-0358-6
Email
[email protected]
Published
2018-04-28
Epub
2018-00-28
Pages
41
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101153627
PMCID
PMC5923003
Subset
IM
Grants
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia · SFRH/BD/109284/2015
Fulbright Association · E0585639
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1186/s12958-018-0358-6 PMC Full Text View journal details
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