Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40469442›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in endocrinology2025

Potential effects of environmental toxicants on sperm quality and potential risk for fertility in humans.

Romualdo Sciorio, Pier Francesco Greco, Ermanno Greco, Luca Tramontano, Fathy M Elshaer, Steven Fleming

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Visible light, oxidative stress, and reproduction: The protective role of melatonin.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. The Oxidative Stress of Human Sperm Cryopreservation.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  20. Ameliorative effects of vitamin C and garlic (Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Romualdo SciorioFertility Medicine and Gynaecological Endocrinology Unit, Department Woman-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Pier Francesco GrecoVilla Mafalda, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Rome, Italy.
Ermanno GrecoVilla Mafalda, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Rome, Italy.
Luca TramontanoDépartement de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Réseau Hospitalier Neuchâtelois, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Fathy M ElshaerZoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar university, Cairo, Egypt.
Steven FlemingDiscipline of Anatomy & Histology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Semen quality is a key factor in male fertility, but defining normal reference values for semen parameters remain challenging. Over the past four decades, several authors have reported a noticeable decline in sperm parameters, raising concerns about male reproductive health. While the exact causes remain unclear, potential contributors include environmental pollution, endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) and oxidative stress, with the latter becoming a growing concern. Environmental changes and increased exposure to EDCs, such as pesticides, herbicides, bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals, are believed to contribute significantly to the decline in sperm quality. These chemicals impact individuals from prenatal life through adulthood, potentially leading to long-term reproductive consequences. Overall, this review explores the relationship between environmental toxicants, including volatile organic compounds, EDCs, as well as oxidative stress and reduced male fertility. While a substantial body of research has found associations between these exposures and adverse fertility outcomes, some studies have reported no significant associations. The primary objective of this review is to provide a deeper understanding of the potential mechanisms between these environmental chemicals on testicular function and spermatogenesis. It also examines the broader evidence on the decline in sperm quality and explores its potential implications for overall fertility outcomes in humans. By doing so, the review will shed light on the broader public health implications of environmental pollutants and their impact on male reproductive health, emphasizing the need for further research in this critical area.

Indexed as

Endocrine DisruptorsEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental PollutantsFertilityInfertility, MaleSpermatozoaHumansMaleOxidative StressSemen AnalysisEndocrine DisruptorsEnvironmental Pollutantsassisted reproductive technologyenvironmental pollutionmale infertilityoxidative stresssperm parameters

Identifiers

PMID40469442
PMCPMC12133492

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.