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. 2021 Sep;48(3):189-193.
doi: 10.5653/cerm.2021.04378. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Health concerns regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on male fertility

Hamidreza Mosleh  1 , Fatemeh Moradi  1 , Mehdi Mehdizadeh  1 , Marziyeh Ajdary  2 , Alaa Moeinzadeh  1 , Ronak Shabani  1
Affiliations

Health concerns regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on male fertility

Hamidreza Mosleh et al. Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus found in China in 2019. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been found to be closely related to the cells that secrete angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is involved in the renin-angiotensin system and is widely secreted in several tissues, including the testis, which has raised concerns because organs with high expression of the ACE2 receptor are susceptible to infection. Analyses have shown that in testicular cells, such as spermatogonia, seminiferous duct cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells, there is a high expression level of ACE2. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 may damage male reproductive tissues and cause infertility. Since male infertility is an important problem, scientists are evaluating whether COVID-19 may influence male infertility through the ACE2 receptor.

Keywords: COVID-19; Male fertility; Pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Subunits of coronaviruses and their role in viral access to cells in the male reproductive tract. ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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