Omolaoye Temidayo S, Halabi Mouhammad Omar, Mubarak Maitha, Cyril Asha Caroline, Duvuru Ruthwik, Radhakrishnan Rajan, Du Plessis Stefan S
College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai P.O. Box 505055, United Arab Emirates.
School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland-Bahrain, Busaiteen 15503, Bahrain.
Toxics. 2022 Oct 20;10(10):627. doi: 10.3390/toxics10100627.
The well-known 3-hydroxyl 3-methyl glutaryl-Coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, called statins, have been the main medication used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and some cases of cardiovascular diseases. The effectiveness of this drug in controlling cholesterol production is impeccable, however, patients often complain of a variety of side effects, such as myalgia, muscle atrophy, and in some cases, rhabdomyolysis. Not only has the use of statins caused the aforementioned side effects, but they are also shown to cause testicular discomfort, erectile dysfunction, altered semen parameters, and modified steroid hormone production. These reported adverse effects on male fertility are not generally agreed upon, as some have shown the use to be beneficial. Hence, this makes the aftermath effect of statin use on male fertility debatable and controversial. The negative effects have been associated with imbalanced or reduced steroid hormones, which are necessary for proper spermatogenesis and other sexual functions. Meanwhile, the beneficial effects are related to statin's anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties. These contradictory findings are in part due to the different age of users, concentrations of statins, the type and duration of treatment, and the underlying disease and/or comorbidities. Therefore, the current study aims to analyze the literature and gather evidence as to the effects of statin on male sexual health and reproductive parameters, and subsequently give recommendations for the direction of future studies.
著名的3-羟基-3-甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶抑制剂，即他汀类药物，一直是治疗高胆固醇血症和某些心血管疾病的主要药物。这种药物在控制胆固醇生成方面的有效性无可挑剔，然而，患者经常抱怨各种副作用，如肌痛、肌肉萎缩，在某些情况下还会出现横纹肌溶解。他汀类药物的使用不仅会导致上述副作用，还会引起睾丸不适、勃起功能障碍、精液参数改变以及类固醇激素生成改变。这些关于他汀类药物对男性生育能力的不良反应报道并未得到普遍认可，因为有些人认为其使用是有益的。因此，他汀类药物使用对男性生育能力的后续影响存在争议。这些负面影响与类固醇激素失衡或减少有关，而类固醇激素对于正常精子发生和其他性功能是必需的。同时，有益影响与他汀类药物的抗炎和心脏保护特性有关。这些相互矛盾的发现部分归因于使用者的年龄不同、他汀类药物浓度、治疗类型和持续时间以及潜在疾病和/或合并症。因此，本研究旨在分析文献并收集关于他汀类药物对男性性健康和生殖参数影响的证据，随后为未来研究方向提供建议。
