Probiotics as Microbiome Modulators in Male Infertility: Rethinking Dysbiosis Across the Gut-Testis Axis.

ABSTRACT: Male infertility contributes substantially to couple infertility, and a large proportion of cases remain idiopathic. Dysbiosis within the gut, seminal, and urinary microbiomes has been associated with impaired semen parameters, reproductive tract inflammation, and oxidative stress. This narrative review, informed by a structured literature search, summarizes current evidence for the gut-testis axis and the androbactome in male infertility and discusses mechanistic pathways linking microbial imbalance to sperm dysfunction. Proposed mechanisms include immune activation, increased oxidative stress, endocrine and metabolic perturbations, and disruption of epithelial barriers, including the blood-testis barrier. Early clinical trials report that selected probiotic or synbiotic formulations may

SUBMITTER: Kaltsas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12942581 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature