American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 29;19(1):328. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010328.
Alcohol abuse disorder is a serious condition, implicating more than 15 million people aged 12 years and older in 2019 in the United States. Ethanol (or ethyl alcohol) is mainly oxidized in the liver, resulting in the synthesis of acetaldehyde and acetate, which are toxic and carcinogenic metabolites, as well as in the generation of a reductive cellular environment. Moreover, ethanol can interact with lipids, generating fatty acid ethyl esters and phosphatidylethanol, which interfere with physiological cellular pathways. This narrative review summarizes the impact of excessive alcohol consumption on male fertility by describing its metabolism and how ethanol consumption may induce cellular damage. Furthermore, the impact of alcohol consumption on hormonal regulation, semen quality, and genetic and epigenetic regulations is discussed based on evidence from animal and human studies, focusing on the consequences on the offspring. Finally, the limitations of the current evidence are discussed. Our review highlights the association between chronic alcohol consumption and poor semen quality, mainly due to the development of oxidative stress, as well as its genotoxic impact on hormonal regulation and DNA integrity, affecting the offspring's health. New landscapes of investigation are proposed for the identification of molecular markers for alcohol-associated infertility, with a focus on advanced OMICS-based approaches applied to the analysis of semen samples.
酒精滥用障碍是一种严重的疾病，在美国，2019 年有超过 1500 万人（年龄在 12 岁及以上）受到影响。乙醇（或乙基酒精）主要在肝脏中氧化，导致乙醛和乙酸的合成，这些都是有毒和致癌的代谢物，并产生还原性细胞环境。此外，乙醇可以与脂质相互作用，生成脂肪酸乙酯和磷脂酰乙醇，干扰生理细胞途径。本综述通过描述其代谢以及乙醇摄入如何诱导细胞损伤，总结了过量饮酒对男性生育力的影响。此外，还根据动物和人体研究的证据，讨论了酒精摄入对激素调节、精液质量以及遗传和表观遗传调节的影响，重点讨论了对后代的影响。最后，讨论了目前证据的局限性。我们的综述强调了慢性酒精摄入与精液质量差之间的关联，主要是由于氧化应激的发展，以及其对激素调节和 DNA 完整性的遗传毒性影响，影响了后代的健康。我们提出了新的研究领域，用于鉴定与酒精相关的不育症的分子标志物，重点是应用于精液样本分析的先进的基于 OMICS 的方法。
