Many people know that what a mother eats or drinks during pregnancy can affect a baby's development. But what about the father? Recent studies have shed light on how a dad's health and habits can influence his child's future. One surprising factor is the medication he takes, especially during the time he is making sperm. Valproate is a drug often prescribed to manag...
Uranium is everywhere in the environment. It is impossible to avoid it. Low levels of uranium are present in the environment. It is a fact that humans are exposed to it. This exposure has raised concerns about its effects on reproduction. The focus of this study was on the reproductive system of male mice. The goal was to see if Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)...
The world of biology is full of surprises. Researchers have uncovered an unexpected link between two proteins, CDK8 and CDK19, and male fertility in mice. These proteins are part of a larger group that helps control how genes are turned on and off. To understand their role, scientists created mice with these proteins turned off. They found that when both CDK8 and...
Scientists are working hard to help young cancer patients have kids in the future. One big challenge is making sperm from saved testicular tissue in a lab. This is tricky because there aren't many samples to study. So, researchers turned to a clever solution: using special stem cells to create tiny, 3D-printed testicles. These mini testicles are made to look and act ...
Imagine trying to figure out how to make healthy sperm in a lab. This isn't easy because spermatogenesis, the process of making sperm, is super complex. It's also the main reason why some men can't have kids. Scientists have been looking for a good way to mimic this process in the lab using animal testes. One method they've tried is growing mouse and rat testes in a ...
In mice, a missing gene called H3t leads to more testicular somatic cells, specifically Leydig cells. These cells produce testosterone, but the increased numbers also show signs of aging. This suggests Leydig cells might play a role in monitoring and promoting sperm development, which is crucial for male fertility. The exact signaling mechanism between these cells an...