The Roles of Activins and Follistatin in the Epididymis and Vas Deferens

Activins are proteins with multiple biological functions, regulated by proteins named inhibin and follistatin. In males, activins are important in testicular development. As the knowledge on activins in the rest of the male reproductive tract was minimal, this PhD project focused on the roles of activins in the epididymis and vas deferens. It was revealed that a balance of activins, follistatin and inhibin is essential in the structure and function of the epididymis and vas deferens, by discovering that these proteins regulate organ growth and involve in sperm-protective mechanisms. It was also shown that antibiotics alone were insufficient to treat bacterial infection of the epididymis, indicating the necessity for anti-inflammatory medications such as follistatin.