Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Oct;32(5):694-712.
doi: 10.1210/er.2011-0012. Epub 2011 Jul 26.

Polyamines on the reproductive landscape

Pavine L C Lefèvre  1 , Marie-France Palin, Bruce D Murphy
Affiliations
Review

Polyamines on the reproductive landscape

Pavine L C Lefèvre et al. Endocr Rev. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

The polyamines are ubiquitous polycationic compounds. Over the past 40 yr, investigation has shown that some of these, namely spermine, spermidine, and putrescine, are essential to male and female reproductive processes and to embryo/fetal development. Indeed, their absence is characterized by infertility and arrest in embryogenesis. Mammals synthesize polyamines de novo from amino acids or import these compounds from the diet. Information collected recently has shown that polyamines are essential regulators of cell growth and gene expression, and they have been implicated in both mitosis and meiosis. In male reproduction, polyamine expression correlates with stages of spermatogenesis, and polyamines appear to function in promoting sperm motility. There is evidence for polyamine involvement in ovarian follicle development and ovulation in female mammals, and polyamine synthesis is required for steroidogenesis in the ovary. Studies of the embryo indicate a polyamine requirement that can be met from maternal sources before implantation, whereas elimination of polyamine synthesis abrogates embryo development at gastrulation. Polyamines play roles in embryo implantation, in decidualization, and in placental formation and function, and polyamine privation during gestation results in intrauterine growth retardation. Emerging information implicates dietary arginine and dietary polyamines as nutritional regulators of fertility. The mechanisms by which polyamines regulate these multiple and diverse processes are not yet well explored; thus, there is fertile ground for further productive investigation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms