Title:Heavy Metal Pollution and Male Fertility: An Overview on Adverse Biological
Effects and Socio-Economic Implications
Volume: 23
Issue: 2
Author(s): Felice Crocetto, Rossella Risolo, Rita Colapietro, Rosa Bellavita, Biagio Barone, Andrea Ballini*, Roberto Arrigoni*, Vincenzo Francesco Caputo, Giovanni Luca, Paolo Grieco, Giunio Santini and Stefano Brancorsini
Affiliation:
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli,” Naples, Italy
- CNR Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), Bari, Italy
Keywords:
Heavy metal pollution, male infertility, stem cells, clinical biochemistry and molecular clinical biology, demographic transition, green economy, gross domestic product (GDP).
Abstract: Trace metals can be divided into two subgroups considering their pathophysiological
effects: the first consists of microelements essential for life (arsenic, cobalt, chromium, copper,
fluorine, iron, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silicon, tin, vanadium and zinc),
implicated in important metabolic processes; the second includes toxic microelements, such as
cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) for living organisms, even at low
concentrations. These metals contribute to serious consequences for human health, including male
infertility. Studies performed in several in vitro and in vivo models revealed that environmental
exposure to toxic pollutants, as heavy metals, negatively affects human male fertility. Stem cells,
due to their ability to self-renew and differentiate in several cell types, have been proposed as a
useful tool in assisted reproductive technology, permitting the spermatogenesis recovery in patients
with irreversible infertility. Considering the effects of heavy metals on male fertility and,
from a demographic point of view, the decreased fertility ratio, further strategies are required to
maintain a sustainable turn-over of 2 children for woman. We discuss here the findings on the
biological effects of heavy metal pollution in the male fertility and underline the related socioeconomic
impact on population demography.