RA-2 13-cis Retinoic Acid (Isotretinoin)

Summary

Men with infertility and normal hormone levels have few options for fertility treatment. Previous research work has suggested that men with infertility may have low levels of the active form of Vitamin A, called retinoic acid, in their testes. We think that giving men with low sperm counts retinoic acid may increase their sperm counts and improve their chances of fathering a pregnancy. We want to see if retinoic acid administration over twenty weeks can increase sperm production and help infertile men become fathers without the need for In vitro fertilization (IVF) and/or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We also want to see if adding calcitriol with retinoic acid will improve sperm motility in a sub-set of subjects.

Timeline

Start

2014-08

Primary completion

2018-12

Completion

2018-12

Publications

• Background Jequier AM, Holmes SC. Primary testicular disease presenting as azoospermia or oligozoospermia in an infertility clinic. Br J Urol. 1993 Jun;71(6):731-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410x.1993.tb16075.x.
• Background de Kretser DM. Male infertility. Lancet. 1997 Mar 15;349(9054):787-90. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(96)08341-9. No abstract available.
• Background Schlegel PN. Nonobstructive azoospermia: a revolutionary surgical approach and results. Semin Reprod Med. 2009 Mar;27(2):165-70. doi: 10.1055/s-0029-1202305. Epub 2009 Feb 26.
• Background Napoli JL. Retinoic acid: its biosynthesis and metabolism. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol. 1999;63:139-88. doi: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60722-9.
• Background Center for Disease Control. Infertility Facts,m accessed at http://www.ede.gov/nchs/fastats/fertile.htm (June 3, 2013)
• Background Doyle TJ, Braun KW, McLean DJ, Wright RW, Griswold MD, Kim KH. Potential functions of retinoic acid receptor A in Sertoli cells and germ cells during spermatogenesis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Dec;1120:114-30. doi: 10.1196/annals.1411.008. Epub 2007 Sep 28.
• Background Koubova J, Menke DB, Zhou Q, Capel B, Griswold MD, Page DC. Retinoic acid regulates sex-specific timing of meiotic initiation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Feb 21;103(8):2474-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0510813103. Epub 2006 Feb 6.
• Background Anderson EL, Baltus AE, Roepers-Gajadien HL, Hassold TJ, de Rooij DG, van Pelt AM, Page DC. Stra8 and its inducer, retinoic acid, regulate meiotic initiation in both spermatogenesis and oogenesis in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Sep 30;105(39):14976-80. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0807297105. Epub 2008 Sep 17.
• Background Chung SS, Wang X, Wolgemuth DJ. Expression of retinoic acid receptor alpha in the germline is essential for proper cellular association and spermiogenesis during spermatogenesis. Development. 2009 Jun;136(12):2091-100. doi: 10.1242/dev.020040.
• Background Dufour JM, Kim KH. Cellular and subcellular localization of six retinoid receptors in rat testis during postnatal development: identification of potential heterodimeric receptors. Biol Reprod. 1999 Nov;61(5):1300-8. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod61.5.1300.
• Background Lohnes D, Kastner P, Dierich A, Mark M, LeMeur M, Chambon P. Function of retinoic acid receptor gamma in the mouse. Cell. 1993 May 21;73(4):643-58. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90246-m.
• Background Lufkin T, Lohnes D, Mark M, Dierich A, Gorry P, Gaub MP, LeMeur M, Chambon P. High postnatal lethality and testis degeneration in retinoic acid receptor alpha mutant mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Aug 1;90(15):7225-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.15.7225.
• Background Kastner P, Mark M, Leid M, Gansmuller A, Chin W, Grondona JM, Decimo D, Krezel W, Dierich A, Chambon P. Abnormal spermatogenesis in RXR beta mutant mice. Genes Dev. 1996 Jan 1;10(1):80-92. doi: 10.1101/gad.10.1.80.
• Background Ghyselinck NB, Vernet N, Dennefeld C, Giese N, Nau H, Chambon P, Viville S, Mark M. Retinoids and spermatogenesis: lessons from mutant mice lacking the plasma retinol binding protein. Dev Dyn. 2006 Jun;235(6):1608-22. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.20795.
• Background Hoting VE, Schutte B, Schirren C. [Isotretinoin treatment of acne conglobata. Andrologic follow-up]. Fortschr Med. 1992 Aug 20;110(23):427-30. German.
• Background Vogt HJ, Ewers R. [13-cis-Retinoic acid and spermatogenesis. Spermatological and impulse cytophotometric studies]. Hautarzt. 1985 May;36(5):281-6. German.
• Background Torok L, Kadar L, Kasa M. Spermatological investigations in patients treated with etretinate and isotretinoin. Andrologia. 1987 Nov-Dec;19(6):629-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0272.1987.tb01915.x.
• Background Nya-Ngatchou JJ, Arnold SL, Walsh TJ, Muller CH, Page ST, Isoherranen N, Amory JK. Intratesticular 13-cis retinoic acid is lower in men with abnormal semen analyses: a pilot study. Andrology. 2013 Mar;1(2):325-31. doi: 10.1111/j.2047-2927.2012.00033.x. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
• Background WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm-Cervical Mucus Interaction
• Background Christiansen C, Christensen MS, Rodbro P, Hagen C, Transbol I. Effect of 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 in itself or combined with hormone treatment in preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis. Eur J Clin Invest. 1981 Aug;11(4):305-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1981.tb02121.x.
• Background Riggs BL, Nelson KI. Effect of long term treatment with calcitriol on calcium absorption and mineral metabolism in postmenopausal osteoporosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985 Sep;61(3):457-61. doi: 10.1210/jcem-61-3-457.
• Background Falch JA, Odegaard OR, Finnanger AM, Matheson I. Postmenopausal osteoporosis: no effect of three years treatment with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. Acta Med Scand. 1987;221(2):199-204. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1987.tb01267.x.
• Background Caniggia A, Nuti R, Lore F, Martini G, Turchetti V, Righi G. Long-term treatment with calcitriol in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Metabolism. 1990 Apr;39(4 Suppl 1):43-9. doi: 10.1016/0026-0495(90)90272-e.
• Background Ott SM, Chesnut CH 3rd. Calcitriol treatment is not effective in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Ann Intern Med. 1989 Feb 15;110(4):267-74. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-110-4-267.
• Background Gallagher JC, Fowler SE, Detter JR, Sherman SS. Combination treatment with estrogen and calcitriol in the prevention of age-related bone loss. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Aug;86(8):3618-28. doi: 10.1210/jcem.86.8.7703.

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