ReviewAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)2023
COVID-19 and Male Infertility: Is There a Role for Antioxidants?
Review in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Relationship between COVID-19 and hypopituitarism: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2025Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on men's reproductive health.Biophysical reviews · 2025Review
- Beta-Thalassemia and Male Infertility: Unraveling the Oxidative Stress Connection-An Up-to-Date Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Sperm quality and sexual function after the first COVID-19 infection during the omicron surge: an observational study in southwest China.Translational andrology and urology · 2024Article
- From Diagnosis to Treatment: Comprehensive Care by Reproductive Urologists in Assisted Reproductive Technology.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), jeopardizes male fertility because of the vulnerability of the male reproductive system, especially the testes. This study evaluates the effects of the virus on testicular function and examines the potential role of antioxidants in mitigating the damage caused by oxidative stress (OS). A comprehensive PubMed search examined exocrine and endocrine testicular function alteration, the interplay between OS and COVID-19-induced defects, and the potential benefit of antioxidants. Although the virus is rarely directly detectable in sperm and testicular tissue, semen quality and hormonal balance are affected in patients, with some changes persisting throughout a spermatogenesis cycle. Testicular pathology in deceased patients shows defects in spermatogenesis, vascular changes, and inflammation. Acute primary hypogonadism is observed mainly in severely infected cases. Elevated OS and sperm DNA fragmentation markers suggest redox imbalance as a possible mechanism behind the fertility changes. COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe for male fertility, but the efficacy of antioxidants to improve sperm quality after infection remains unproven due to limited research. Given the limited and inconclusive evidence, careful evaluation of men recovering from COVID-19 seeking fertility improvement is strongly recommended.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.