Médecine de la Reproduction
MENUAdipokines and fertilité, male side Volume 22, issue 1, Janvier-Février-Mars 2020
- Key words: adipokines, male fertility, sperm
- DOI : 10.1684/mte.2020.0785
- Page(s) : 57-65
- Published in: 2020
For several years, studies have shown that adipokines are involved in regulating reproductive function along the entire gonadotropic axis at the central hypothalamic-pituitary and peripheral gonadal levels. Although many studies have focused on female fertility, few have looked at its male side. Here we review the literature on studies on the relationship between adipokines and male fertility. While seminal adiponectin appears to have a favorable effect on sperm parameters, other adipokines such as resistin or chemerine have a rather deleterious effect on spermatogenesis. A dual role of leptin appears to emerge with a positive “physiological” effect at low concentrations and a deleterious effect for higher seminal concentrations. Finally, the increase in circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory biomarker, is associated with altered sperm parameters. In contrast, seminal IL-6 which is ten times more concentrated than serum IL-6 would have beneficial physiological effects on vitality, concentration and sperm mobility.