Microbiology and immune mechanisms associated with male infertility
- PMID: 36895560
- PMCID: PMC9989213
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1139450
Microbiology and immune mechanisms associated with male infertility
Abstract
Up to 50% of infertility is caused by the male side. Varicocele, orchitis, prostatitis, oligospermia, asthenospermia, and azoospermia are common causes of impaired male reproductive function and male infertility. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that microorganisms play an increasingly important role in the occurrence of these diseases. This review will discuss the microbiological changes associated with male infertility from the perspective of etiology, and how microorganisms affect the normal function of the male reproductive system through immune mechanisms. Linking male infertility with microbiome and immunomics can help us recognize the immune response under different disease states, providing more targeted immune target therapy for these diseases, and even the possibility of combined immunotherapy and microbial therapy for male infertility.
Keywords: immune; infertility; microbiology; oligospermia; orchitis; prostatitis; varicocele.
Copyright © 2023 Chen, Chen, Fang, Shen, Zhao, Liu and Zhang.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Is varicocelectomy indicated in subfertile men with clinical varicoceles who have asthenospermia or teratospermia and normal sperm density?Int J Urol. 2007 Aug;14(8):729-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2007.01786.x. Int J Urol. 2007. PMID: 17681064
-
[Bilateral microsurgical varicocelectomy in infertile men].Urologiia. 2004 May-Jun;(3):21-5. Urologiia. 2004. PMID: 15199809 Russian.
-
Globozoospermia: is there a role for varicocele repair?J Androl. 2007 Jul-Aug;28(4):490. doi: 10.2164/jandrol.107.002907. Epub 2007 Apr 25. J Androl. 2007. PMID: 17460092 No abstract available.
-
Varicocele-Mediated Male Infertility: From the Perspective of Testicular Immunity and Inflammation.Front Immunol. 2021 Aug 31;12:729539. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.729539. eCollection 2021. Front Immunol. 2021. PMID: 34531872 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The role of varicocele repair in the new era of assisted reproductive technology.Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2008 Jun;63(3):395-404. doi: 10.1590/s1807-59322008000300018. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2008. PMID: 18568252 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Infertility - a Great Challenge of the Past, Present, and Future.Mater Sociomed. 2025;37(1):74-79. doi: 10.5455/msm.2025.37.74-79. Mater Sociomed. 2025. PMID: 40098760 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Decoding the Puzzle of Male Infertility: The Role of Infection, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity.Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Feb 24;15(5):547. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15050547. Diagnostics (Basel). 2025. PMID: 40075794 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A comparison of the expression patterns and diagnostic capability of the ncRNAs NEAT1 and miR-34a in non-obstructive azoospermia and severe oligospermia.Hum Genomics. 2025 Mar 31;19(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s40246-025-00742-9. Hum Genomics. 2025. PMID: 40165339 Free PMC article.
-
Ureaplasma urealyticum upregulates seminal fluid leukocytes and lowers human semen quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Basic Clin Androl. 2025 Apr 17;35(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12610-025-00262-5. Basic Clin Androl. 2025. PMID: 40247169 Free PMC article. Review.
-
High Concentration of Iron Ions Contributes to Ferroptosis-Mediated Testis Injury.Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Feb;203(2):891-902. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04192-7. Epub 2024 May 21. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025. PMID: 38771434
References
-
- Zegers-Hochschild F, Adamson GD, de Mouzon J, Ishihara O, Mansour R, Nygren K, et al. . International committee for monitoring assisted reproductive technology (ICMART) and the world health organization (WHO) revised glossary of ART terminology, 2009. Fertil Steril (2009) 92(5):1520–4. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.09.009 - DOI - PubMed
-
- Chen J, Chen J, Fang Y, Shen Q, Zhao K, Liu C, et al. . Diagnostic evaluation of the infertile male: A committee opinion. fertility and sterility. Emerging Molecular Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Targets in the Genitourinary Immune Microenvironment (Frontiers in Immunology) (2015) 103(3):e18–25. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.12.103 - DOI - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical