Infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system, defined by the failure to conceive after a year of regular, unprotected sex. Male factors account for about 50% of the cases of infertility globally, with the rising incidence of male infertility making it a major challenge of public health concern. Major causes include endocrinopathies, heat stress, chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, genetic and immunological disorders, testicular pathologies, obstructive reproductive tract disorders and genitourinary tract infections, environmental factors such as alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, exposure to heavy metals and environmental pollutants, drug abuse, ageing, and iatrogenic and idiopathic causes. Compelling shreds of evidence have implicated oxidative stress with incident male infertility. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant scavenging capacity, has been demonstrated to impair steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis, thus causing male infertility. This has led to an increasing number of studies on the role of oxidative stress in male infertility.

Although the prevalence of male infertility varies across the globe, it has been reported that about 72.4 million couples, accounting for 15% couples, experience fertility issues globally. Understanding the etiology of reproductive dysfunction is a complex, multifaceted task. It includes not just ability to but the ability of the sperm cells to fertilize viable oocytes, initiating and maintaining embryonic growth and sustaining pregnancy until term. An in-depth understanding of the role of oxidative stress in the development of male infertility will help to better counsel and manage patients presenting with infertility. This will also open new windows of opportunities in the prevention and management of infertility.

Understanding the etiology of reproductive dysfunction is a complex, multifaceted task. It includes not just the ability to but the ability of the sperm cells to fertilize viable oocytes, initiating and maintaining embryonic growth and sustaining pregnancy until term. An in-depth understanding of the role of oxidative stress in the development of male infertility will help to better counsel patients presenting with infertility. This will also open new windows of opportunities in the prevention and management of infertility.

This Topic welcomes the submission of Review and Original Research articles discussing the impact of oxidative stress on male fertility. Novel findings demonstrating the molecular pathogenesis of male infertility and/or studies proposing new therapeutic candidates in the prevention or management of male infertility would be prioritized. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
i. Emerging risk factors for male infertility
ii. Role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the male reproductive system
iii. Genetic causes of male infertility
iv. Biomarkers of oxidative stress in infertility
v. The role of metabolomics in the management of male infertility
vi. Role of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in the management of male infertility
vii. The role of research and diagnostic laboratories in the management of male infertility
viii. Advances in the management of infertility

Papers are published upon acceptance, regardless of the Research Topic closing date.

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Frontiers in Reproductive Health

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