Seminal fluid shapes health of offspring

Researchers from the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Institute have discovered that a man’s seminal fluid plays a major role in various developmental stages of his offspring, including future health conditions. Their research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists have known for some years that seminal fluid is critical in determining whether or not a couple is able to conceive a child. But according to Professor Sarah Robertson, director of the Robinson Institute, “it’s not just the sperm, but the entire composition of the seminal fluid which has an important role to play in establishing the offspring’s future health, and this is most notably seen in male offspring.”

The researchers conducted laboratories studies with mice, “ablating the plasma fraction of seminal fluid by surgical excision of the seminal vesicle gland”, they said. Conception was substantially impaired, with Professor Robinson saying, “If the seminal fluid is of poor quality, it affects the female’s capacity to support an embryo.”

If the embryo managed to survive, said the researchers, “the growth trajectory and metabolic parameters … were altered, most profoundly in males, which exhibited obesity, distorted metabolic hormones, reduced glucose tolerance and hypertension”.

The study found that seminal fluid contains signals which trigger production of proteins in the female reproductive tract. The balance between proteins which promote embryo survival and those which cause embryo demise are changed according to the signals present in seminal fluid.

“We know from several studies that obesity in males can be tracked back to the father’s contribution at the moment of conception,” said Professor Robertson. “But now we’re starting to understand the very complex signals and information being transmitted by the seminal fluid, and it turns out that seminal fluid and female tissues interact in surprising ways.

“It’s clear to us now that the seminal fluid produces signals that the embryo absolutely needs for the best possible start to life. Assisted reproductive techniques, as good as they are today, cannot currently replicate such complexity.”

Professor Robertson said the research could lead to better advice and new options for infertile couples.

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