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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Virus and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1420307
This article is part of the Research Topic Papillomaviruses, immunity, and tumour development View all 4 articles

Impact of High-Risk and Low-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections on the Male Genital Tract: effects on semen inflammation and sperm quality Shortened title: High and Low Risk HPV impact on Male Genital Tract

Provisionally accepted
Carolina Olivera Carolina Olivera 1Daniela A. Paira Daniela A. Paira 1Andrés Olmedo Andrés Olmedo 2José J. Olmedo José J. Olmedo 3Andrea Tissera Andrea Tissera 4Rosa Molina Rosa Molina 4Ruben D. Motrich Ruben D. Motrich 1Cecilia Cuffini Cecilia Cuffini 5Virginia E. Rivero Virginia E. Rivero 1*
  • 1 CONICET Centre for Research in Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology (CIBICI), Cordoba, Argentina
  • 2 DASPU. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Córdoba. Argentina, Cordoba, Argentina
  • 3 Fundación Urológica Córdoba para la Docencia e Investigación Médica (FUCDIM)., Cordoba, Argentina
  • 4 Laboratorio de Andrologia, Cordoba, Argentina
  • 5 Instituto de Virología Dr. José M. Vanella. Facultad de Medicina, Cordoba, Argentina

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, comprises high-risk (HR-HPV) and low-risk (LR-HPV) viruses, the former posing a high risk for developing malignancies whereas the latter mainly for benign warts. Despite increasing awareness of HPV's impact on men's health, the influence of HR-HPV and LR-HPV urogenital infections on male fertility potential remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate whether male urogenital infection with HR-or LR-HPV associates with impaired sperm quality, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A total of 205 male patients attending an urology clinic were enrolled. Semen samples were analyzed for HPV using PCR and genotyped by RFLP. Semen quality was evaluated following WHO guidelines.Semen leukocytes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and sperm viability were analyzed using flow cytometry. HPV was detected in 19% (39/205) of semen samples. HR-HPV infections were more prevalent, with HPV-16 being the most frequent genotype. Neither HR-HPV nor LR-HPV were associated with significant alterations in routine sperm quality parameters. However, HR-HPV+ individuals showed significantly higher levels of sperm necrosis and exhibited increased proportions of ROS+ spermatozoa compared to LR-HPV+ or control individuals. Furthermore, no significant semen inflammation was detected in patients infected with either HR-HPV or LR-HPV, and unexpectedly reduced semen leukocytes and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1β) were observed in HR-HPV+ patients compared to controls. These observations underscore the importance of comprehensive HPV screening, including genotyping, in urology and fertility clinics to understand the progression of the infection, potential adverse effects on reproductive health, and the oncogenic risks involved.

    Keywords: HPV, high-risk and low-risk HPV genotypes, semen cytokines, Male genital tract, ROS

    Received: 02 May 2024; Accepted: 25 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Olivera, Paira, Olmedo, Olmedo, Tissera, Molina, Motrich, Cuffini and Rivero. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Virginia E. Rivero, CONICET Centre for Research in Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology (CIBICI), Cordoba, Argentina

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