Viral pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and male reproductive health

• Published in: Open biology Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 200347
• Main Authors: Roychoudhury, Shubhadeep, Das, Anandan, Jha, Niraj Kumar, Kesari, Kavindra Kumar, Roychoudhury, Shatabhisha, Jha, Saurabh Kumar, Kosgi, Raghavender, Choudhury, Arun Paul, Lukac, Norbert, Madhu, Nithar Ranjan, Kumar, Dhruv, Slama, Petr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Royal Society 01.01.2021
• Subjects: ace2; covid-19; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - pathology; COVID-19 - virology; Cytokines - metabolism; DNA Fragmentation; fertility; Humans; Lymphocytes - metabolism; Lymphocytes - virology; Male; male reproduction; Oxidative Stress; Reproductive Health; Review; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; sars-cov-2 infection; Spermatozoa - physiology; Spermatozoa - virology; testicular damage; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 infection; ACE2; male reproduction; testicular damage; fertility
• ISSN: 2046-2441; 2046-2441
• DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200347

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a new public health crisis, threatening almost all aspects of human life. Originating in bats, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted to humans through unknown intermediate hosts, where it is primarily known to cause pneumonia-like complications in the respiratory system. Organ-to-organ transmission has not been ruled out, thereby raising the possibility of the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on multiple organ systems. The male reproductive system has been hypothesized to be a potential target of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is supported by some preliminary evidence. This may pose a global threat to male fertility potential, as men are more prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection than women, especially those of reproductive age. Preliminary reports have also indicated the possibility of sexual transmission of SARS-CoV-2. It may cause severe complications in infected couples. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of potential SARS-CoV-2 infection in the reproductive organs of males along with their invasion mechanisms. The risks of COVID-19 on male fertility as well as the differences in vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with females have also been highlighted.