Intratesticular creatine maintains spermatogenesis by defining tight junctions
Abstract
One in five couples who wish to conceive is infertile, and half of these couples have male infertility. However, the causes of male infertility are still largely unknown. Creatine is stored in the body as an energy buffer, and the testes are its second-largest reservoir after muscles. Further, even though intratesticular creatine levels have long been known to decrease in male patients with infertility, its role in the testis is unknown. We investigated the intratesticular role of creatine, specifically in the context of the creatine synthesizing enzyme Gamt, and the creatine transporter Slc6a8. The Slc6a8 knockout mice showed no abnormalities in spermatogenesis. While Gamt knockout mice formed spermatozoa, they demonstrated reduced sperm count and decreased sperm motility and fertilization rate. Additionally, intratesticular creatine in Gamt knockout mice was significantly decreased, resulting in the disruption of tight junctions, which could be rectified by creatine supplementation, as was evidenced by the improved sperm count and fertilization rate in these mice. In conclusion, we identified creatine as being required for the maintenance of the tight junction in the testis.
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