Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42789063›Full record

SynthesisJournal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)2026

Unravelling deregulated metabolites in seminal plasma of infertile men: a systematic review and bioinformatic analysis.

Rafael Santos, Beatriz Marinheiro, Margarida Ramos, Pedro F Oliveira, Pedro O Corda, Margarida Fardilha, Joana Santiago

Abstract readSystematic ReviewReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. 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

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

7 authors.

Rafael Santos *Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
Beatriz Marinheiro *Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
Margarida Ramos *Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
Pedro F OliveiraLAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
Pedro O CordaInstitute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
Margarida FardilhaInstitute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
Joana SantiagoInstitute of Biomedicine - iBiMED, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal. joanasantiago@ua.pt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1071-4739

Funding

European Regional Development Fund Project 16652; COMPETE2030-FEDER-00783300Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia https://doi.org/10.54499/2023.17577.ICDTFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/04501/2025Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia UID/04501/2025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Male infertility is a multifactorial condition accounting for  50% of infertility cases. Although conventional semen analysis remains the standard method for male infertility diagnosis, it fails to explain 30% of the cases and their underlying molecular causes. Metabolomics offers valuable insights into sperm metabolic dysfunction, enabling the identification of deregulated pathways involved in male infertility. Here, a systematic review including metabolomic studies that compare the seminal plasma metabolome of healthy and infertile men was conducted. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases following PRISMA guidelines. Twenty metabolomic studies published until December 2025 were included and categorized into four groups: asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, obesity, and overall male infertility. A total of 284 metabolites were retrieved, of which eleven (down: L-tyrosine, D-fructose, L-valine, phenylalanine, proline, D-glucose, L-alanine, leucine, sorbitol, L-aspartic acid; up: uridine), six (down: D-fructose, glycine, maleic acid, L-valine, proline, and lysine), and ten (down: L-carnitine, L-tyrosine, L-valine, L-alanine, phenylalanine, proline, D-glucose, leucine, malic acid, and citraconic acid) were altered in asthenozoospermia, obesity, and overall infertility groups, respectively. These metabolites were associated with phenylalanine/tyrosine metabolism, fructose and mannose degradation, and β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. A bioinformatic analysis of the enzymes possibly involved in these pathways revealed associations with male infertility phenotypes and key sperm functions, including motility, vitality, and energy metabolism. This study provides a list of metabolites altered in the seminal fluid of infertile men, highlighting their potential as biomarkers of male infertility, and gives insights into the metabolic pathways affected in these conditions.

Indexed as

Infertility, MaleMetabolomeSemenBiomarkersComputational BiologyHumansMaleMetabolomicsBiomarkersBiomarkersMale infertilityMetabolomeMetabolomicsSeminal fluid

Identifiers

PMID42789063

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.