ArticlePloS one2013
Soluble products of Escherichia coli induce mitochondrial dysfunction-related sperm membrane lipid peroxidation which is prevented by lactobacilli.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is Lactobacillus spp. beneficial in human semen? Systematic review.JBRA assisted reproduction · 2025Pooled it
- Oxidative Stress and Male Infertility: A Critical Analysis of Current Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Molecular Advances in Male Infertility and Fertility: Importance of Redox Regulation and Oxidative Stress.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The influence of seminal microbiota on human testicular steroidogenesis: a prospective study.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Are Lactobacillus in the male reproductive tract friends?Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Article
- Leukocytospermia and/or Bacteriospermia: Impact on Male Infertility.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Unraveling the Intricacies of the Seminal Microbiome and Its Impact on Human Fertility.Biology · 2024Review
- Sperm in the Mammalian Female Reproductive Tract: Surfing Through the Tract to Try to Beat the Odds.Annual review of animal biosciences · 2024Review
- An Overview of the Microbiota of the Human Urinary Tract in Health and Disease: Current Issues and Perspectives.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Role of Infection and Leukocytes in Male Infertility.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2022Article
- Bacteriospermia - A formidable player in male subfertility.Open life sciences · 2022Review
- Effects of common Gram-negative pathogens causing male genitourinary-tract infections on human sperm functions.Scientific reports · 2021Observational
- Role ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Review
- Local ProbioticFrontiers in microbiology · 2019Article
- Escherichia coli recombinant sperm immobilizing factor RecX as a potential vaginal contraceptive.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2018Article
- Physically Active Men Show Better Semen Parameters than Their Sedentary Counterparts.International journal of fertility & sterility · 2017Article
- Therapeutic Opportunities in the Vaginal Microbiome.Microbiology spectrum · 2017Review
- Chlamydia trachomatis neither exerts deleterious effects on spermatozoa nor impairs male fertility.Scientific reports · 2017Article
- Pyruvate kinase M2 prevents apoptosis via modulating Bim stability and associates with poor outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma.Oncotarget · 2015Article
- Laboratory and clinical management of leukocytospermia and hematospermia: a review.Therapeutic advances in reproductive healthReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Unidentified soluble factors secreted by E. coli, a frequently isolated microorganism in genitourinary infections, have been reported to inhibit mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), motility and vitality of human spermatozoa. Here we explore the mechanisms involved in the adverse impact of E. coli on sperm motility, focusing mainly on sperm mitochondrial function and possible membrane damage induced by mitochondrial-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, as lactobacilli, which dominate the vaginal ecosystem of healthy women, have been shown to exert anti-oxidant protective effects on spermatozoa, we also evaluated whether soluble products from these microorganisms could protect spermatozoa against the effects of E. coli. We assessed motility (by computer-aided semen analysis), ΔΨm (with JC-1 dye by flow cytometry), mitochondrial ROS generation (with MitoSOX red dye by flow cytometry) and membrane lipid-peroxidation (with the fluorophore BODIPY C11 by flow cytometry) of sperm suspensions exposed to E. coli in the presence and in the absence of a combination of 3 selected strains of lactobacilli (L. brevis, L. salivarius, L. plantarum). A Transwell system was used to avoid direct contact between spermatozoa and microorganisms. Soluble products of E. coli induced ΔΨm loss, mitochondrial generation of ROS and membrane lipid-peroxidation, resulting in motility loss. Soluble factors of lactobacilli prevented membrane lipid-peroxidation of E. coli-exposed spermatozoa, thus preserving their motility. In conclusion, sperm motility loss by soluble products of E. coli reflects a mitochondrial dysfunction-related membrane lipid-peroxidation. Lactobacilli could protect spermatozoa in the presence of vaginal disorders, by preventing ROS-induced membrane damage.
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Registered trials
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