Identification of the mineralocorticoid receptor in human spermatozoa

Aldosterone seems to play a role in the regulation of the electrolyte content of sperm and in the motility of spermatozoa. The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in human ejaculated spermatozoa. We have assayed MR on spermatozoa of freshly ejaculated sperm from healthy donors. The identification of MR was made by using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses, while MR mRNA expression was evaluated by real-time PCR assay. The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analyses showed positive staining both in the midpiece and in the tail of the spermatozoa. Relative quantification of MR by using real-time PCR shows that the mRNA expression of MR in spermatozoa is lower than in mononuclear leukocytes (positive controls). Sequencing showed complete identity between the sequence obtained from spermatozoa and the human MR cDNA sequence. Further studies should be performed in order to elucidate a possible physiological role of aldosterone in regulating electrolyte concentration, and the pro-oxidant effect of excess aldosterone in this new target tissue.