Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41059192›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2025

Therapeutic mechanisms of Lycii Fructus in male infertility: a comprehensive review.

Dongyue Ma, Dexiu Li, Guanchao Du, Shengjing Liu, Anmin Wang, Hongyuan Chang, Hui Lv, Hao Wang, Fu Wang, Jun Guo

Erratum issuedAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Dongyue Ma *Xiyuan Hospital of Clinical Medical College of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Dexiu Li *Department of Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Guanchao Du *Department of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Shengjing LiuDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Anmin WangDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Hongyuan ChangDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Hui LvXiyuan Hospital of Clinical Medical College of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Hao WangDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Fu WangDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jun GuoDepartment of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Lycii Fructus (dried goji berry), the dried ripe fruit of Methods: A literature survey was conducted on studies reporting the effects of Lycii Fructus and its bioactive metabolites on male reproductive parameters, including spermatogenesis, hormone regulation, testicular structure, and molecular signaling pathways. Results: Evidence suggests that Lycii Fructus and its metabolites can improve male reproductive function and sperm quality by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, alleviating oxidative stress, inhibiting testicular cell apoptosis, suppressing pro-inflammatory factors, reducing testicular fibrosis, and regulating autophagy. Animal studies have shown that these effects may be mediated through key signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt, SIRT1/Nrf2, and AMPK/PGC-1α, thereby enhancing testicular steroidogenesis and antioxidant capacity, among other benefits, and mitigating reproductive damage induced by diabetes, obesity, radiation, and environmental toxins. Although clinical evidence supporting the use of Lycii Fructus alone to improve male infertility is still lacking, traditional Chinese medicine compound formulas containing Lycii Fructus have demonstrated good efficacy and safety in treating oligoasthenozoospermia. Given the increasing attention to the safety and preventive health potential of natural botanical medicines, Lycii Fructus is emerging as a promising natural therapeutic agent for the treatment of male infertility. Conclusion: Lycii Fructus and its metabolites show promising therapeutic potential for male infertility by improving sperm quality, protecting testicular structure and function, and mitigating damage induced by various stressors.

Indexed as

Lycii FructusLycium barbarummale infertilityoxidative stressreproductive protectionsperm qualitytestis

Identifiers

PMID41059192
PMCPMC12497719

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.