附属性腺炎,包括前列腺炎、精囊炎和附睾炎,是导致男性不育的一个重要因素,虽然目前仍不能确定附属性腺炎是如何引起男性生育力下降的,但已有大量的临床证据说明二者之间存在确切的联系[1,2]。推测附属性腺炎损害男性生育力有多种机制,这导致一部分附属性腺炎患者的精液常规提示少、弱精症,而在另一些病人,精子参数则可能是正常的,但因为炎症损害了精子的膜功能或诱发精子DNA突变而降低了其受精能力。而且炎症对血睾屏障的破坏还可以导致机体产生抗精子抗体发生免疫性不育[2]。近年来对附属性腺炎相关性不育的研究集中在炎症时白细胞引起附睾水平的促氧化因子和抗氧化因子失衡,导致精浆ROS (reactive oxygen species,活性氧片断)升高对精子产生的毒性作用[3],对存在感染因素的附属性腺炎,ROS还来自细菌[3]、支原体[4]等病原体。可能的机制还包括炎症引起局部细胞因子网紊乱而诱发的精子毒性作用[5],对生精上皮的直接损伤[6]等。
[1] Schoor RA, Prostatitis and male infertility: evidence and links. Curr Urol Rep 2002 Aug;3(4):324-9
[2] Comhaire FH, Mahmoud AM, Depuydt CE, Zalata AA, Christophe AB. Mechanisms and effects of male genital tract infection on sperm quality and fertilizing potential: the andrologist's viewpoint. Hum Reprod Update 1999 Sep-Oct;5(5):393-8
[3] Vicari E, Rubino C, De Palma A, Longo G, Lauretta M, Consoli S, Arancio A. Antioxidant therapeutic efficiency after the use of carnitine in infertile patients with bacterial or non bacterial prostato-vesiculo-epididymitis. Arch Ital Urol Androl 2001 Mar;73(1):15-25
[4] Potts JM, Sharma R, Pasqualotto F, Nelson D, Hall G, Agarwal A. Association of ureaplasma urealyticum with abnormal reactive oxygen species levels and absence of leukocytospermia. J Urol 2000 Jun;163:1775-8
[5] Diemer T, Ludwig M, Huwe P, Hales DB, Weidner W. Influence of urogenital infection on sperm function. Curr Opin Urol 2000 Jan;10(1):39-44
[6] Villanueva-Diaz CA, Flores-Reyes GA, Beltran-Zuniga M, Echavarria-Sanchez M, Ortiz-Ibarra FJ, Arredondo-Garcia JL. Bacteriospermia and male infertility: a method for increasing the sensitivity of semen culture. Int J Fertil Womens Med 1999 Jun-Aug;44(4):198-203