Interferon γ, IL-17, and IL-1ß impair sperm motility and viability and induce sperm apoptosis.

Urogenital inflammation is a known cause of male infertility. Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, leukocyte counts and oxidative stress are highly detrimental for sperm quality thus compromising male fertility. Although cytokines affect sperm by recruiting and activating leukocytes consequently inducing tissue inflammation and oxidative stress, scarce to absent data have been reported about the putative direct effects of inflammatory cytokines on spermatozoa. Herein, we analyzed whether IFNγ, IL-17A, IL-1ß, and IL-8 can alter human sperm motility and viability per se. Fractions of viable and motile spermatozoa from normospermic healthy donors were in vitro incubated with recombinant human IFNγ, IL-17A, IL-1ß or IL-8 and sperm ROS production, motility, viability and apoptosis were analyzed. Sperm exposed to different concentrations of IFNγ, IL-17A and IL-1ß, or a combination of them, for either 1 or 3 h showed significantly increased levels of mitochondrial ROS production and reduced motility and viability with respect to sperm incubated with vehicle. Moreover, the exposure to IFNγ, IL-17A and IL-1ß resulted in significantly higher levels of early and/or late apoptotic and/or necrotic spermatozoa. Interestingly, no significant differences in sperm motility, viability and apoptosis were observed in sperm incubated with the concentrations of IL-8 analyzed, for either 1 or 3 h, with respect to sperm incubated with vehicle. In conclusion, our results indicate that IFNγ, IL-17A and IL-1ß per se impair sperm motility and decreases viability by triggering increased mitochondrial ROS production and inducing sperm apoptosis. Our results suggest that screening inflammatory cytokines in semen would be an additional helpful tool for the diagnostic workup of male infertility.

Patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome show T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th17 self-reactive immune responses specific to prostate and seminal antigens and diminished semen quality.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the presence of self-reactive immune responses to seminal and prostate antigens (PAg), biomarkers of inflammation of the male genital tract, and semen quality parameters in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood and semen samples were collected from patients with CP/CPPS and age-matched healthy control volunteers. We analysed the lymphoproliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to different seminal plasma (SP)-derived and purified PAg, serum autoantibodies specific to PAg, leucocyte subpopulations, and inflammatory cytokines in semen, sperm apoptosis/necrosis, and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: Significantly greater PBMC proliferative responses specific to PAg, with elevated secretion of interferon (IFN)γ and interleukin (IL)-17, were detected in the patients with CP/CPPS vs the controls. Moreover, the patients with CP/CPPS had significantly greater serum immunoglobulin G immune reactivity to SP proteins, such as prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase, than the controls. Inflammation of the male genital tract was exemplified by high levels of IFNγ, IL-17, IL-1ß and IL-8, as well as higher counts of leukocytes, mainly CD4 T lymphocytes and macrophages, in the semen. In addition, this local inflammation was associated with an overall diminished semen quality, i.e., reduced sperm concentration, motility and viability; and higher levels of sperm apoptosis/necrosis in patients with CP/CPPS vs controls. CONCLUSION: Patients with CP/CPPS show T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th17 immune responses specific to PAg associated with chronic inflammation of the male genital tract and reduced semen quality. These immune responses may underlie the induction and development of chronic pelvic pain and inflammation of the male genital tract, which in turn could alter normal prostate functioning and impair semen quality.

Implications of prostate inflammation on male fertility.

The prostate is the seat of three major causes of morbidity: benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer and prostatitis, three conditions in which inflammation has been implicated. A state of inflammation of the prostate gland, originally incited by an infection, an autoimmune response, a neurogenic stimulus or another trigger may have consequences on prostate functionality. In fact, male fertility depends intrinsically on the content of prostatic fluid factors secreted by the prostatic epithelium. Taking into account that the prostate gland is the major male accessory gland that exerts essential functions for male fertility, a state of local inflammation can alter male fertility by either directly impairing sperm quality or, indirectly, by causing prostate dysfunction. In the present review, we summarise the current knowledge regarding prostatitis due to well-known infections such as Escherichia coli, Chlamydia trachomatis and other commonly identified microorganisms focusing on inflammatory markers detected during these infections and seminal quality and male fertility alterations reported. We also focused on type III prostatitis or chronic nonbacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, of unknown aetiology, in which inflammation of an autoimmune origin, neurogenic stimuli or another trigger have been proposed and fertility alterations reported.

Chronic Pelvic Pain Development and Prostate Inflammation in Strains of Mice With Different Susceptibility to Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis.

BACKGROUND: Experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the prostate characterized by peripheral prostate-specific autoimmune responses associated with prostate inflammation. EAP is induced in rodents upon immunization with prostate antigens (PAg) plus adjuvants and shares important clinical and immunological features with the human disease chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). METHODS: EAP was induced in young NOD, C57BL/6, and BALB/c male mice by immunization with PAg plus complete Freund́s adjuvant. Tactile allodynia was assessed using Von Frey fibers as a measure of pelvic pain at baseline and at different time points after immunization. Using conventional histology, immunohistochemistry, FACS analysis, and protein arrays, an interstrain comparative study of prostate cell infiltration and inflammation was performed. RESULTS: Chronic pelvic pain development was similar between immunized NOD and C57BL/6 mice, although the severity of leukocyte infiltration was greater in the first case. Coversely, minimal prostate cell infiltration was observed in immunized BALB/c mice, who showed no pelvic pain development. Increased numbers of mast cells, mostly degranulated, were detected in prostate samples from NOD and C57BL/6 mice, while lower total counts and resting were observed in BALB/c mice. Prostate tissue from NOD mice revealed markedly increased expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, vascular endothelial growth factor, and metalloproteinases. Similar results, but to a lesser extent, were observed when analyzing prostate tissue from C57BL/6 mice. On the contrary, the expression of the above mediators was very low in prostate tissue from immunized BALB/c mice, showing significantly slight increments only for CXCL1 and IL4. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide new evidence indicating that NOD, C57BL/6, and BALB/c mice develop different degrees of chronic pelvic pain, type, and amount of prostate cell infiltration and secretion of inflammatory mediators. Our results corroborate and support the notion that mice with different genetic background have different susceptibility to EAP induction. Prostate 77:94-104, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chronic Infection of the Prostate by Chlamydia muridarum Is Accompanied by Local Inflammation and Pelvic Pain Development.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis urogenital infections are the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections. Although the prevalence of chlamydial infection is similar in men and women, current research is mainly focused on women, neglecting the study of male genital tract infections. We, therefore, investigated Chlamydia infection in the rodent male genital tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male NOD and C57BL/6 mice were inoculated in the meatus urethra with C. muridarum. Bacterial DNA, leukocyte infiltration of male genital tract tissues, pelvic pain, and Chlamydia-specific immune responses were analyzed at different time points. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The inoculation of C. muridarum in the meatus urethra of male mice resulted in an ascending and widely disseminated infection of the male genital tract. C. muridarum remained longer and with the highest bacterial burdens in the prostate, thus showing a special tropism for this organ. Infection caused leukocyte infiltration, mainly composed by neutrophils, and also induced early pelvic pain development that rapidly dropped and resolved as the infection became chronic. Bacterial load and leukocyte infiltration was observed in all prostate lobes, although dorsolateral prostate was the most affected lobe. Interestingly, immune responses induced by both mice strains were characterized by the production of high levels of IL-10 during early stages of the infection, with highest and sustained levels observed in NOD mice, which showed to be less efficient in clearing the infection. Chronic infection of the prostate accompanied by local inflammation and pelvic pain development described herein have important implications for the improvement of the diagnosis and for the design of new efficient therapies. Prostate 77:517-529, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Male genital tract immune response against Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported agent of sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. This pathogen frequently leads to persistent, long-term, subclinical infections, which in turn may cause severe pathology in susceptible hosts. This is in part due to the strategies that Chlamydia trachomatis uses to survive within epithelial cells and to evade the host immune response, such as subverting intracellular trafficking, interfering signaling pathways and preventing apoptosis. Innate immune receptors such as toll-like receptors expressed on epithelial and immune cells in the genital tract mediate the recognition of chlamydial molecular patterns. After bacterial recognition, a subset of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are continuously released by epithelial cells. The innate immune response is followed by the initiation of the adaptive response against Chlamydia trachomatis, which in turn may result in T helper 1-mediated protection or in T helper 2-mediated immunopathology. Understanding the molecular mechanisms developed by Chlamydia trachomatis to avoid killing and host immune response would be crucial for designing new therapeutic approaches and developing protective vaccines. In this review, we focus on chlamydial survival strategies and the elicited immune responses in male genital tract infections.

Expression of CXCR3 on specific T cells is essential for homing to the prostate gland in an experimental model of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) is considered a valid model for the human disease chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. In this report, we analyzed phenotypic characteristics of T cells that gain access to the prostate and induce leukocyte recruitment in mice with different susceptibility to EAP. After EAP induction, NOD mice developed a specific cellular response characterized by a mixed Th1/Th17 pattern with specific T cells mainly expressing CXCR3 that infiltrated and damaged the prostate. In contrast, BALB/c mice, as well as NOD-IFN-γ(-/-), exhibited only Th17 cells mainly expressing CCR6 that were not capable of infiltrating the prostate gland. Adoptive transfer experiments of T cells from NOD or NOD-IFN-γ(-/-) mice to NOD-SCID recipients showed that only T cells from NOD mice successfully infiltrated the prostate. However, after "in vitro" or "in vivo" treatment with rIFN-γ, T cells from NOD-IFN-γ(-/-) mice became capable of homing to the prostate and induced leukocyte recruitment. Chemokine levels in prostate tissue from NOD mice showed increased expression levels of CXCR3 ligands. Additional experiments using adoptive transfer of sorted CXCR3(+)CD3(+) T cells or administrating a CXCR3 antagonist treatment confirmed these previous results. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the expression of CXCR3 on effector T cells is essential for their homing to the prostate gland in EAP. CXCR3 emerges as a potential therapeutic target to control chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Bio-efficacy of the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum).

The aim of this study was to investigate the bioactivity of the essential oil isolated from Origanum vulgare L. (EOv). We analyzed the in vivo anti-inflammatory properties in a mouse-airway inflammation model and the in vitro antimicrobial activity, genotoxicity over the anaphase-telophase with the Allium cepa strain and its cytotoxicity/viability in A549 culture cells. In vivo, EOv modified the levels of tumor necrosis factor -α and viable activated macrophages and was capable to mitigate the effects of degradation of conjugated dienes. In vitro, EOv reduced the viability of cultured A549 cells as well as the mitotic index and a number of chromosomal aberrations; however, it did not change the number of phases. We found that EOv presents antimicrobial activity against different Gram (-) and (+) strains, measured by disc-diffusion test and confirmed with a more accurate method, the AutoCad software. We postulate that EOv presents antibacterial, antioxidant and chemopreventive properties and could be play an important role as bioprotector agent.

Impact of high-risk and low-risk human papillomavirus infections on the male genital tract: effects on semen inflammation and sperm quality.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, comprises high-risk (HR-HPV) and low-risk (LR-HPV) viruses, the former posing a high risk for developing malignancies whereas the latter mainly for benign warts. Despite increasing awareness of HPV's impact on men's health, the influence of HR-HPV and LR-HPV urogenital infections on male fertility potential remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate whether male urogenital infection with HR- or LR-HPV associates with impaired sperm quality, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A total of 205 male patients attending an urology clinic were enrolled. Semen samples were analyzed for HPV using PCR and genotyped by RFLP. Semen quality was evaluated following WHO guidelines. Semen leukocytes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and sperm viability were analyzed using flow cytometry. HPV was detected in 19% (39/205) of semen samples. HR-HPV infections were more prevalent, with HPV-16 being the most frequent genotype. Neither HR-HPV nor LR-HPV were associated with significant alterations in routine sperm quality parameters. However, HR-HPV+ individuals showed significantly higher levels of sperm necrosis and exhibited increased proportions of ROS+ spermatozoa compared to LR-HPV+ or control individuals. Furthermore, no significant semen inflammation was detected in patients infected with either HR-HPV or LR-HPV, and unexpectedly reduced semen leukocytes and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1ß) were observed in HR-HPV+ patients compared to controls. These observations underscore the importance of comprehensive HPV screening, including genotyping, in urology and fertility clinics to understand the progression of the infection, potential adverse effects on reproductive health, and the oncogenic risks involved.

Immunological biomarkers associated with survival in a cohort of Argentinian patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic syndrome among inborn errors of immunity. Although several aspects of CVID immunopathology have been elucidated, predictive factors for mortality are incompletely defined. A genetic cause can be identified only in approximately 30% of patients. Objective: We sought to develop a mortality predictive score on the basis of the immunophenotypes and genotypes of patients with CVID. Methods: Twenty-one patients diagnosed with CVID in Córdoba, Argentina, were analyzed for clinical and laboratory data. Immunophenotyping was done by flow cytometry. CVID-associated mutations were identified by whole-exome sequencing. Results: Alive (15) and deceased (6) patients were compared. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in CD4+ T cells (P = .002), natural killer (NK) cells (P = .001), and memory switched B cells (P = .001) between groups. Logistic regression analysis showed a negative correlation between CD4+, NK, and memory switched B-cell counts and probability of survival over a 10-year period (CD4+ T cells: odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.001-1.020; NK cells: OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.17; and memory switched B cells: OR, 26.23; 95% CI, 2.06-2651.96). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis identified a survival cutoff point for each parameter (CD4+ T cells: 546 cells/mL; AUC, 0.87; sensitivity, 60%; specificity, 100%; memory switched B cells: 0.84 cells/mL; AUC, 0.92; sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 85%; and NK cells: 45 cells/mL; AUC, 0.92; sensitivity, 83%; specificity, 100%). Genetic analysis on 14 (9 female and 5 male) patients from the cohort revealed mutations associated with inborn errors of immunity in 6 patients. Conclusions: A score to predict mortality is proposed on the basis of CD4+ T, NK, and memory switched B-cell counts in patients with CVID.

CD8 T cells are dispensable for experimental autoimmune prostatitis induction and chronic pelvic pain development.

Introduction: Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome or Chronic Prostatitis (CPPS/CP) is the most prevalent urologic affliction among young adult men. It is a challenging condition to treat, which significantly decreases patient quality of life, mostly because of its still uncertain aetiology. In that regard, an autoimmune origin is a prominent supported theory. Indeed, studies in patients and in rodent models of Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis (EAP) have provided compelling evidence suggesting a key role of CD4 Th1 cells in disease pathogenesis. However, the implication of other prominent effectors of the immune system, such as CD8 T cells, has yet to be studied. Methods: We herein analyzed the induction of prostatitis and the development of chronic pelvic pain in EAP using CD8 T cell-deficient animals. Results: We found similarly elevated PA-specific immune responses, with high frequencies of specific IFNg+CD4+ and IL17+CD4+ T cells in prostate draining lymph nodes from PA-immunized either CD8 KO or wild type animals with respect to controls. Moreover, these peripheral immune responses were paralleled by the development of significant chronic pelvic pain, and accompanied by prostate histological lesions, characterized by hemorrhage, epithelial cell desquamation, marked periglandular leukocyte infiltration, and increased collagen deposition in both, PA-immunized CD8 KO and wild type animals. As expected, control animals did not develop prostate histological lesions. Discussion: Our results indicate that CD8 T cells do not play a major role in EAP pathogenesis and chronic pelvic pain development. Moreover, our results corroborate the previous notion that a CD4 Th1 associated immune response drives the induction of prostate tissue inflammation and the development of chronic pelvic pain.

Classifier ensemble based on feature selection and diversity measures for predicting the affinity of A(2B) adenosine receptor antagonists.

A(2B) adenosine receptor antagonists may be beneficial in treating diseases like asthma, diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, and certain cancers. This has stimulated research for the development of potent ligands for this subtype, based on quantitative structure-affinity relationships. In this work, a new ensemble machine learning algorithm is proposed for classification and prediction of the ligand-binding affinity of A(2B) adenosine receptor antagonists. This algorithm is based on the training of different classifier models with multiple training sets (composed of the same compounds but represented by diverse features). The k-nearest neighbor, decision trees, neural networks, and support vector machines were used as single classifiers. To select the base classifiers for combining into the ensemble, several diversity measures were employed. The final multiclassifier prediction results were computed from the output obtained by using a combination of selected base classifiers output, by utilizing different mathematical functions including the following: majority vote, maximum and average probability. In this work, 10-fold cross- and external validation were used. The strategy led to the following results: i) the single classifiers, together with previous features selections, resulted in good overall accuracy, ii) a comparison between single classifiers, and their combinations in the multiclassifier model, showed that using our ensemble gave a better performance than the single classifier model, and iii) our multiclassifier model performed better than the most widely used multiclassifier models in the literature. The results and statistical analysis demonstrated the supremacy of our multiclassifier approach for predicting the affinity of A(2B) adenosine receptor antagonists, and it can be used to develop other QSAR models.

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis urogenital infections associate with semen inflammation and decreased sperm quality.

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis are among the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections proposed to induce urogenital inflammation and impair sperm quality. However, the topic remains controversial since contradictory findings have been reported. Herein, we performed a comprehensive analysis of U. urealyticum and M. hominis urogenital infections and their association with urogenital inflammation (i.e., leukocyte subsets and inflammatory cytokines in semen,) and sperm quality parameters in a cohort of men with couple's primary infertility undergoing initial infertility evaluation or with lower urinary tract symptoms and no infertility-related complaints. Overall, U. urealyticum and M. hominis infection was detected in 17.0% and 23.6% of patients, respectively, whereas the coinfection was detected in 3.8% of patients only. Remarkably, similar infection frequencies were found in the different patient subpopulations analyzed. Moreover, infections were associated with elevated semen levels of TNF, IL-1ß, and IL-6 and/or increased counts of total leukocytes and their subsets, including CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes and neutrophils. In addition, M. hominis infection and the coinfection with U. urealyticum were associated with impairments in sperm quality variables. Our results indicate that U. urealyticum and M. hominis male urogenital infections induce urogenital inflammation and decrease sperm quality, thus impairing male fertility potential. Screening for U. urealyticum and M. hominis infections and performing a comprehensive analysis of different leukocyte subsets and inflammatory cytokines in semen may be clinically helpful in the diagnosis and follow-up of male urogenital infection.

COVID-19 associates with semen inflammation and sperm quality impairment that reverses in the short term after disease recovery.

Introduction: COVID-19 exerts deleterious effects on the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems, causing more severe disease in men than in women. However, cumulative reported data about the putative consequences on the male reproductive tract and fertility are controversial. Furthermore, the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection are still uncertain. Methods: In this study, we prospectively evaluated levels of inflammatory cytokines and leukocytes in semen and sperm quality parameters in a cohort of 231 reproductive-aged male patients, unvaccinated, who had recovered from mild or severe COVID-19 and in 62 healthy control individuals. Sperm quality was assessed early (less than 3 months) and long (more than 3 and up to 6 months) after having COVID-19. Interestingly, and unlike most reported studies, available extensive background and baseline data on patients' sperm quality allowed performing a more accurate analysis of COVID-19 effects on sperm quality. Results: Significantly higher levels of IL-1ß, TNF and IFNγ were detected in semen from patients recently recovered from mild and/or severe COVID-19 with respect to control individuals indicating semen inflammation. Moreover, patients recovered from mild and/or severe COVID-19 showed significantly reduced semen volume, lower total sperm counts, and impaired sperm motility and viability. Interestingly, all observed alterations returned to baseline values after 3 or more months after disease recovery. Discussion: These results indicate that COVID-19 associates with semen inflammation and impaired semen quality early after disease. However, long COVID-19 seems not to include long-term detrimental consequences on male fertility potential since the observed alterations were reversible after 1-2 spermatogenesis cycles. These data constitute compelling evidence allowing a better understanding of COVID-19 associated sequelae, fundamental for semen collection in assisted reproduction.

Chronic epididymitis due to Chlamydia trachomatis LGV-L2 in an HIV-negative heterosexual patient: a case report.

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen and the leading bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Chlamydia trachomatis genovars L1-L3 are responsible for lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), an invasive sexually transmitted disease endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, South America, the Caribbean, India and South East Asia. The typical signs and symptoms of C. trachomatis LGV urogenital infections in men include herpetiform ulcers, inguinal buboes, and/or lymphadenopathies. Since 2003, endemic cases of proctitis and proctocolitis caused by C. trachomatis LGV emerged in Europe, mainly in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). Scarce data have been reported about unusual clinical presentations of C. trachomatis LGV urogenital infections. Herein, we report a case of a 36-year-old heterosexual, HIV-negative male declaring he did not have sex with men or trans women, who presented to the Urology and Andrology outpatient clinic of a healthcare center from Cordoba, Argentina, with intermittent testicular pain over the preceding 6 months. Doppler ultrasound indicated right epididymitis and funiculitis. Out of 17 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) investigated, a positive result was obtained only for C. trachomatis. Also, semen analysis revealed oligoasthenozoospermia, reduced sperm viability as well as increased sperm DNA fragmentation and necrosis, together with augmented reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the presence of anti-sperm IgG autoantibodies. In this context, doxycycline 100 mg/12 h for 45 days was prescribed. A post-treatment control documented microbiological cure along with resolution of clinical signs and symptoms and improved semen quality. Strikingly, sequencing of the ompA gene revealed C. trachomatis LGV L2 as the causative uropathogen. Remarkably, the patient did not present the typical signs and symptoms of LGV. Instead, the infection associated with chronic testicular pain, semen inflammation and markedly reduced sperm quality. To our knowledge, this is the first reported evidence of chronic epididymitis due to C. trachomatis LGV L2 infection in an HIV-negative heterosexual man. These findings constitute important and valuable information for researchers and practitioners and highlight that C. trachomatis LGV-L2 should be considered as putative etiologic agent of chronic epididymitis, even in the absence of the typical LGV signs and symptoms.

Expression of HPV-16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins alters Chlamydia trachomatis developmental cycle and induces increased levels of immune regulatory molecules.

Introduction: Infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a recognized risk factor for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection and vice versa. Coinfection of HPV and CT in women is a very common and usually asymptomatic finding that has been linked to increased risk of cervical cancer. It has been demonstrated that CT facilitates the entry of multiple high risk HPV genotypes, leading to damage of the mucosal barrier and interfering with immune responses and viral clearance, which ultimately favours viral persistence and malignant transformation. Although the facilitating effects elicited by CT infection on viral persistence have been reported, little is known about the consequences of HPV infection on CT development. Methods: Herein, we took advantage of a genetically modified human cervical cell line co-expressing HPV-16 major oncogenic proteins E6 and E7, as an experimental model allowing to investigate the possible effects that HPV infection would have on CT development. Results and discussion: Our results show that CT infection of HPV-16 E6E7 expressing cells induced an upregulation of the expression of E6E7 oncoproteins and host cell inhibitory molecules PD-L1, HVEM and CD160. Additionally, smaller chlamydial inclusions and reduced infectious progeny generation was observed in E6E7 cells. Ultrastructural analysis showed that expression of E6 and E7 did not alter total bacterial counts within inclusions but resulted in increased numbers of reticulate bodies (RB) and decreased production of infectious elementary bodies (EB). Our results indicate that during CT and HPV coinfection, E6 and E7 oncoproteins impair RB to EB transition and infectious progeny generation. On the other hand, higher expression of immune inhibitory molecules and HPV-16 E6E7 are cooperatively enhanced in CT-infected cells, which would favour both oncogenesis and immunosuppression. Our findings pose important implications for clinical management of patients with HPV and CT coinfection, suggesting that screening for the mutual infection could represent an opportunity to intervene and prevent severe reproductive health outcomes, such as cervical cancer and infertility.

Male rat genital tract infection with Chlamydia muridarum has no significant consequence on male fertility.

PURPOSE: Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the male genital tract was proposed to alter male fertility. We studied the putative consequences of chlamydial male genital tract infection on semen quality and male fertility in an experimental rat model of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used 36 male and 40 female Wistar rats. Male genital infection was created by inoculating Chlamydia muridarum in the meatal urethra. The presence of C. muridarum was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction in semen and male genital tract organs early (15 days) and late (80 days) after infection. Sperm quality parameters were assayed in seminal and epididymal sperm from sham infected and infected rats. Mating studies with sexually mature females were performed and fertility parameters were assayed, including potency, fecundity and fertility indexes, fetal size, and pre-implantation and post-implantation embryo loss. RESULTS: Male rats showed ascending, disseminated infection 15 days after infection. Bacteria persisted in the prostate and seminal vesicles 80 days after infection. C. muridarum was detected in semen in most rats regardless of acute or chronic infection. Seminal or epididymal sperm quality did not differ in infected and sham infected rats 15 or 80 days after infection. Sperm apoptosis was also minimal in infected rats. No differences were observed in fertility parameters between infected and sham infected rats. CONCLUSIONS: C. muridarum infects the rat male genital tract and persists mainly in the prostate. Although C. muridarum was detected in semen during acute and chronic infection, no alterations in sperm quality were observed. C. muridarum infection does not impair male fertility.

Hit to lead evaluation of 1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridines as PIM kinase inhibitors.

PIM kinases have become targets of interest due to their association with biochemical mechanisms affecting survival, proliferation and cytokine production. 1,2,3-Triazolo[4,5-b]pyridines were identified as PIM inhibitors applying a scaffold hopping approach. Initial exploration around this scaffold and X-ray crystallographic data are hereby described.

Imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazines as novel PI3K inhibitors.

Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) is an important target for cancer therapeutics due to the deregulation of its signaling pathway in a wide variety of human cancers. We describe herein a novel series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazines as PI3K inhibitors.

Identification of ETP-46321, a potent and orally bioavailable PI3K α, δ inhibitor.

Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) is an important target for cancer therapeutics due to the deregulation of this signaling pathway in a wide variety of human cancers. Herein, we describe the optimization of imidazo [1,2-a] pyrazines, which allow us to identify compound 14 (ETP-46321), with potent biochemical and cellular activity and good pharmacokinetic properties (PK) after oral dosing. ETP-46321 PK/PD studies showed time dependent downregulation of AKT(Ser473) phosphorylation, which correlates with compound levels in tumor tissue and demonstrating to be efficacious in a GEMM mouse tumor model driven by a K-Ras(G12V) oncogenic mutation. Treatment with ETP-46321 resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition.