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Review
. 2021 Jul;24(7):856-867.
doi: 10.22038/ijbms.2021.53326.12002.

Effects of illicit drugs on structural and functional impairment of testis, endocrinal disorders, and molecular alterations of the semen

Zohreh Nazmara  1 , Babak Ebrahimi  2 , Pouran Makhdoumi  3 , Leila Noori  4   5 , Seyed Amirhosein Mahdavi  6 , Gholamreza Hassanzadeh  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Effects of illicit drugs on structural and functional impairment of testis, endocrinal disorders, and molecular alterations of the semen

Zohreh Nazmara et al. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Illicit drug use is growing among young people, which is one of the major problems in today's society that can be associated with many medical issues, including infertility. Amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, and marijuana are the most common and the most used illicit drugs worldwide. The purpose of this review was to collect as much literature as possible about the impact of illicit drugs on male fertility and summarize their valuable data. Original studies and reviews were collected by searching the keywords "illicit drugs (all kinds of that) and male infertility". The obtained information was also categorized based on the content of the "Infertility in the Male" book. Almost all studies suggested that taking all kinds of illicit drugs with the effects on different parts of the male reproductive system can result in subfertility or complete infertility in the consumers. Although the data in this field are not decisive and there are some confounding factors in human studies, it can be inferred that the use of any illicit drug with an effect on male sexual health reduces fertility potency. Therefore, it is recommended that couples, who are planning to conceive, avoid taking any illicit drugs before and during treatment.

Keywords: Amphetamines; Cocaine; Illicit drugs; Male infertility; Male reproductive system; Marijuana; Opioids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Opioids could inhibit the hypothalamus with either decreased GnRH secretion or level of dopamine which results in HPG impairment and abnormal spermatogenesis
Figure 2
Figure 2
Microenvironmental changes in the genital tract of opioid addicts can lead to seminal pH alteration, and genetic abnormality in spermatozoa affect sperm cell motility
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heroin can impair the sperm's genetic and epigenetic factors related to nuclear condensation and motility, increased DFI percentage, and alter the RNA profile transmitted to the fetus
Figure 4
Figure 4
Structural and functional impairment, endocrinal disorders, changes in sexual behavior and semen analysis, and molecular alterations of semen in humans
Figure 5
Figure 5
Structural and functional impairment, endocrinal disorders, changes in sexual behavior and semen analysis, and molecular alterations of semen in an animal model
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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