Mechanisms of obesity-induced male infertility

Abstract

Male infertility, characterized by hypogonadism, decreased semen quality or ejaculatory dysfunction, accounts for approximately 20% of infertility cases. Obesity and metabolic dysfunction have been identified, among other causal factors, to contribute to male infertility. In the context of the Western world’s ‘obesity epidemic’, this article discusses three main biological mechanisms linking obesity to impaired male reproductive function: hypogonadism, testicular heat stress/hypoxia-induced apoptosis and endocrine disruption by ‘obesogens’. Among these, obesity-induced hypogonadism is undoubtedly the most clinically significant and is easily assessed. Rapidly expanding areas of research in this area include leptin modulation of kisspeptins and hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular hormone pathways, and roles of other adipocytokines in male infertility, as well as the impact of exposure to obesogens on the quality of semen.

Keywords::

• endocrine disrupters
• estrogen
• hypogonadism
• leptin
• obesity
• obesogens
• semen

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Nongnuj Tanphaichitr is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.