RA-4: 13-cis Retinoic Acid for Treatment of Men With Azoospermia

Summary

Men with infertility and normal hormone levels have few options for fertility treatment. Previous research suggests that men with infertility may have low levels of the active form of Vitamin A, called retinoic acid, in their testes. In a pilot study of 20 men with low numbers of sperm (\<10 million motile sperm), roughly half the men showed improvement in sperm production. Thus, we want to see if retinoic acid administration to men with azoospermia (no sperm present) can initiate sperm production.

Timeline

Start

2017-07-25

Primary completion

2019-05-16

Completion

2019-05-31

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 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 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.

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