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Facteurs de croissance et Cytokines: nouveaux marqueurs gonadiques dans l’évaluation de l’infertilité masculine

Growth factors and cytokines as markers of male infertility

Resume

Le développement de la fécondation assistée, et particulièrement de l’ICSI, a révolutionné le traitement de l’infertilité masculine et permis le franchissement de la plupart des barrières de la fécondation naturelle. Les activités testiculaires sont sous le contrôle des systèmes neuro-endocrines et de facteurs de croissance et cytokines locaux.

Cette revue rapporte différentes observations qui suggèrent le rêle clé des facteurs de croissance et cytokines locaux sur le développement du testicule et sur la spermatogenèse et la stéroïdogenèse. Nous soulignons les résultats obtenus par différentes équipes qui cherchent à évaluer ces facteurs et/ou étudient leurs actions chez l’homme infertile. L’emploi de ces facteurs pour l’amélioration du pouvoir fécondant du sperme est discuté. D’un point de vue prospectif nous considérons quelques aspects intéressants des facteurs de croissance et des cytokines en tant que marqueurs de l’infertilité masculine.

Abstract

The development of assisted fertilization and particularly intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has revolutionized the treatment of male infertility and bypasses many of the natural barriers to fertilization. Testicular activities are under the control of the neuroendocrine systems and local growth factors and cytokines. This review deals initially with different observations suggesting a key role for local growth factors and cytokines in foetal testis development and in the differentiated functions of steroidogenesis and gametogenesis. Subsequently, we will report the data obtained by different teams working on the evaluation of and/or actions of these factors in infertile men. The use of these factors to improve sperm function is also discussed. Finally in a prospective context, we discuss some points of interest in terms of elucidating the role of growth factors and cytokines as markers of male infertility.

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Hamamah, S., Soufir, J.C., Hazout, A. et al. Facteurs de croissance et Cytokines: nouveaux marqueurs gonadiques dans l’évaluation de l’infertilité masculine. Androl. 9, 459–467 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03034662

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