Author: Aldiyarbek Nurlan
Editor: Anastasia Merentsova
Male infertility often occurs due to a lack of sperm in the seminal fluid, which may be the result of damage to the hemato-testicular barrier (BTB). This barrier protects the reproductive cells from various toxins and drugs, and the PIN1 protein is important for its function.
Scientists have considered the possibility of gene therapy to treat male infertility, these procedures are risky because they can cause unwanted genetic changes in reproductive cells. The researchers wanted to develop a system to deliver proteins (such as PIN1) instead of genes to the testes, but first they needed to find a way to deliver these proteins through the complex tubes of the testes to the cells.
The researchers developed a delivery system called Fibroplex, which consisted of spherical nanoparticles made of silk fibroin and a lipid envelope. They loaded PIN1 into Fibroplex and showed that the particles looked safe and showed no signs of toxicity or testicular damage in mice.
After 5 months of treatment, when the protein decomposed, mice treated with PIN1-Fibroplex gave birth to the same number of cubs as wild-type mice, while untreated mice with PIN1 deletions remained infertile.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201021130145.htm
