Yang F, et al. World J Mens Health. 2020 Jan;38:e43. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.200073

Background: The blood-testis barrier (BTB) is a physical barrier of the testis to prevent various exogenous substrates from entering apical compartments and provides immune privilege for spermatogenesis, which is essential for normal spermatogenic function of testis. It has been shown that oxidative stress can damage BTB by activating the p38 MAPK pathway. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qiangjing tablets (QJT) improve spermatogenesis and increase pregnancy rates. Previous studies have confirmed that QJT can improve sperm quality and have obvious antioxidant effects. In this study, we explore whether QJT contributes to recovery from BTB dysfunction in rats. Methods: BTB dysfunction was induced in rats by 1% Cyclophosphamide (CP). The CP-induced rats in the treatment group were given a dose of QJT (0.45 g/kg·d) by gavage. Testis tissues were collected for histopathological and biochemical analysis, and the testis weight was estimated. Levels of BTB-related proteins and antioxidant enzyme were analyzed in the testis tissues. Results: QJT resolved the pathological injury of rats testis induced by CP. Furthermore, MDA levels were significantly reduced, and the levels of SOD markedly increased in the testicular tissue after QJT treatment. In addition, QJT down-regulated the expression of p38 protein in rat testis and up-regulated the expressions of key proteins ZO-1, occludin and F-actin in BTB. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that QJT exerts protective effects on CP-induced rats with BTB dysfunction, likely by regulating the oxidative stress-mediated p38 MAPK pathway.

Background: Male fertility has gradually become a worldwide problem with limitations in the treatment. Alpha-lipoic acid, has been applied to improve the quality of sperm in clinical practice. However, there was currently no high quality of systematic review to evaluate the effects of alpha-lipoic acid on sperm parameters. Material and methods: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.org, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, China Biology Medicine Database, etc., were retrieved. Related randomized controlled trials had be collected and selected up to March 10, 2022. English literature and Chinese literature were searched using terms including “male infertility”, “semen”, “sperm”, “alpha-lipoid acid”, “α-lipoid acid”, “alpha lipoid acid”, “thioctic acid”. All statistical analyses were conducted by RevMan 5.3. Results: A total of 133 participants in three studies included. Compared with sham therapy, treated with alpha-lipoic acid has significant improvement in the following sperm parameters, including abnormal sperm forms (mean difference[MD] = -1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.29–0.84, p < 0.00001), sperm concentration (MD = 3.98, 95%CI = 2.28–5.67, p < 0.00001), sperm total motility (grade a+b+c) (MD = 6.68, 95%CI = 4.88–8.48, p < 0.00001) and progressive motility(grade a+b) (MD = 6.90, 95%CI = 5.62–8.17, p < 0.00001) and semen volume(MD = -0.17, 95%CI = -0.31–0.02, p = 0.03). Conclusions: In this meta-analysis of three randomized controlled trials, compared with other treatments, alpha-lipoic acid could improve normal sperm forms, sperm concentration, sperm total motility and progressive motility, but more stringent randomized controlled trials must be conducted.

Wang M, et al. World J Mens Health. 2025 Aug;43:e59. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.250115

Yang F, et al. World J Mens Health. 2025 Jan;43:e5. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.240254

Prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men, often progresses to castration-resistant prostate cancer despite androgen deprivation therapy. Immunotherapy, revolutionary in cancer treatment, has limited efficacy in prostate cancer due to its “cold tumor” nature. Peptides, with unique advantages, offer new hope. This review explores how peptide-based tumor immunotherapy can transform prostate cancer from a “cold” to a “hot” state. It modulates the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by regulating non-immune cells (such as cancer-associated fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and adipose stromal cells), repolarizing tumor-associated macrophages, activating NK cells, and tuning cytokines. Additionally, peptides can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in prostate cancer cells through ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy modulation. The review also revisits existing prostate cancer immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint blockade, CAR T cell therapy, and dendritic cell vaccines, highlighting how peptides can enhance their effectiveness and safety. Finally, two peptide-based immunotherapy strategies in the development stage, peptide-integrated Proteolysis-Targeting Chimera therapy and peptide-involved epigenomic therapy, are introduced, showing great potential for future prostate cancer treatment.