Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection by Intranasal or Intratesticular Route Induces Testicular Damage

作者：Can Li, Zhanhong Ye, Anna Jin Xia Zhang, Jasper Fuk‐Woo Chan, Wenchen Song, Fei‐Fei Liu, Yanxia Chen, Mike Yat Wah Kwan, Andrew Chak Yiu Lee, Yan Zhao, Bosco Ho Yin Wong, Cyril Chik Yan Yip, Jian‐Piao Cai, David Christopher Lung, Siddharth Sridhar, Dong‐Yan Jin, Hin Chu, Kelvin Kai Wang To, Kwok Yung Yuen · 发表于：Clinical Infectious Diseases · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1093/cid/ciac142 · 被引用次数：47 · 研究领域：COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction、COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies、SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research

BACKGROUND: The role of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the pathogenesis of testicular damage is uncertain. METHODS: We investigated the virological, pathological, and immunological changes in testes of hamsters challenged by wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and its variants with intranasal or direct testicular inoculation using influenza virus A(H1N1)pdm09 as control. RESULTS: Besides self-limiting respiratory tract infection, intranasal SARS-CoV-2 challenge caused acute decrease in sperm count, serum testosterone and inhibin B at 4-7 days after infection; and chronic reduction in testicular size and weight, and serum sex hormone at 42-120 days after infection. Acute histopathological damage with worsening degree of testicular inflammation, hemorrhage, necrosis, degeneration of seminiferous tubules, and disruption of orderly spermatogenesis were seen with increasing virus inoculum. Degeneration and death of Sertoli and Leydig cells were found. Although viral loads and SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein expression were markedly lower in testicular than in lung tissues, direct intratesticular injection of SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated nucleocapsid expressing interstitial cells and epididymal epithelial cells, While intranasal or intratesticular challenge by A(H1N1)pdm09 control showed no testicular infection or damage. From 7 to 120 days after infection, degeneration and apoptosis of seminiferous tubules, immune complex deposition, and depletion of spermatogenic cel...