New study reveals how stress boosts sperm motility through mitochondrial changes and epigenetic shifts. Study: Stress increases sperm respiration and motility in mice and men . Image Credit: Rost9 / Shutterstock.
com In a recent study published in Nature Communications , researchers investigate the effects of perceived stress on sperm motility and maturation. Stress was found to increase sperm motility in humans after two to three months. In mice, stress induces differential gene regulation and alters extracellular vesicle (EV) composition which subsequently leads to altered sperm mitochondrial activity and motility.
Stress and fertility Stress influences long-term reproductive fitness; however, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the impact of stress on fertility remain unclear. Evidence suggests that prolonged stress induces allostasis, a process where stress-induced changes in cellular function persist after the stress ends. Epididymal epithelial cells (EECs) in males secrete factors and cargo-carrying EVs, which are critical for sperm maturation.
Previous research indicates that stress-induced changes in EEC-secreted EVs affect sperm composition and fertility. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which is central to stress responses, influences mitochondrial and transcriptional processes. In the present study, researchers examine how stress alters sperm function through metabolic and mitochondrial pathways, particularly involving GRs.
The research.