Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This article was submitted to Cancer Endocrinology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.
The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author s and the copyright owner s are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Cholesterol is essential for mammalian cell functions and integrity. It is an important structural component maintaining the permeability and fluidity of the cell membrane.
The balance between synthesis and catabolism of cholesterol should be tightly regulated to ensure normal cellular processes. Male reproductive function has been demonstrated to be dependent on cholesterol homeostasis. Here we review data highlighting the impacts of cholesterol homeostasis on male fertility and the molecular mechanisms implicated through the signaling pathways of some nuclear receptors.
Infertility is a major public health issue defined by the World Health Organization as the inability of a couple to conceive a child after 1 year of unprotected regular sex. Male infertility can be divided into two categories: abnormalities of excretory origin, which define a defect of sperm delivery in the genital tract and abnormalities of secretory origin, which correspond an alteration of the production of the spermatozoa by the testis.
It is therefore necessary to better understand the physiology of the testis in order to identify the causes of infertility that are still idiopathic. Male reproductive function has been demonstrated to be highly dependent on cholesterol homeostasis. Indeed, cholesterol is the precursor of steroid synthesis which is crucial for normal sperm production 5 β 7. Moreover, many experimental and clinical data have highlighted the importance of lipid metabolism in the control of testicular physiology and male fertility 8.
