Sialylation status and its relationship with morphofunctional changes in human adult testis during sexually mature life and aging: A narrative review

Acta Histochem. 2024 Feb 20;126(2):152143. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2024.152143. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSialic acids (Sias) are a family of electronegatively charged nine-carbon monosaccharides containing a carboxylic acid, mostly found as terminal residues in glycans of glycoproteins and glycolipids. They are bound to galactose or N-acetylgalactosamine via α2,3 or α2,6 linkage, or to other Sias especially via α2,8 linkage, which results in monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric forms. Sias play determinant roles in a multitude of biological processes in human tissues from development to adult life until aging. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the sialylation status in the human testis with a main focus on sexually mature life and aging, when this organ shows significant morphofunctional changes resulting into variations of hormonal levels, as well as changes in molecules involved in mitochondrial function, receptors, and signaling proteins. Evidence suggests that Sias may have crucial morphofunctional roles in the different testicular components during the sexually mature age. With advancing age, significant loss of Sias and/or changes in sialylation status occur in all the testicular components, which seems to contribute to morphofunctional changes characteristic of the aging testis. Based on the current knowledge, further in-depth investigations will be necessary to better understand the mechanistic role of Sias in the biological processes of hum...

Source: Acta Histochemica - February 21, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Mirko Manetti Mirca Marini Angelica Perna Alessia Tani Eleonora Sgambati Source Type: research