- Title
- COVID-19 and human spermatozoa—potential risks for infertility and sexual transmission?
- Creator
- Aitken, Robert John
- Relation
- Andrology Vol. 9, Issue 1, p. 48-52
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/andr.12859
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- As COVID-19 infections wreak havoc across the globe, attention has rightly been focused on the vital organ systems (lung, kidney and heart) that are vulnerable to viral attack and contribute to the acute pathology associated with this disease. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that COVID-19 will attack any cell type in the body expressing ACE2 - including human spermatozoa. These cells possess the entire repertoire of receptors (AT1R, AT2R, MAS) and ligand processing enzymes (ACE1 and ACE2) needed to support the angiotensin signalling cascade. The latter not only provides COVID-19 with a foothold on the sperm surface but may also promote integration, given the additional presence of a range of proteases (TMPRSS2, TMPRSS11B, TMPRSS12, furin) capable of promoting viral fusion. This article reviews the roles played by these various cellular constituents in maintaining the vitality of human spermatozoa and their competence for fertilization. The reproductive consequences of a viral attack on these systems, in terms of fertility and the risk of sexual transmission, are currently unknown. However, we should be alive to the possibility that there may be reproductive consequences of COVID-19 infection in young males that go beyond their capacity to survive a viral attack.
- Subject
- ACE2; COVID-19; male infertility; spermatozoa; TMPRSS2; viral fusion
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1431204
- Identifier
- uon:38936
- Identifier
- ISSN:2047-2919
- Rights
- This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Aitken, Robert John. “COVID-19 and human spermatozoa-potential risks for infertility and sexual transmission?”. Andrology Vol. 9, Issue 1, p. 48-52 (2020), which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/andr.12859. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Reviewed
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