Statins and Male Fertility: Is There a Cause for Concern?

Abstract

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.

In Silico Interactions of Natural and Synthetic Compounds with Key Proteins Involved in Alzheimer’s Disease: Prospects for Designing New Therapeutics Compound

“…Our data suggested hazardous effects of atorvastatin on the reproduction system which is in line with studies conducted on rat and human which reported erectile and testicular dysfunction, altered steroid hormone production, and reducing sperms’ count number (Akdeniz et al 2020 ; Omolaoye et al 2022 ). Also, it is worth mentioning that the mechanism of causing dysfunction in the reproduction system is remained a controversial issue since some studies stated that statins can improve the reproduction system and sperm quality (Abdulwahab et al 2021 ; Davis et al 2015 ; Sadeghi et al 2021 ).…”

The Possible Role of Prescribing Medications, Including Central Nervous System Drugs, in Contributing to Male-Factor Infertility (MFI): Assessment of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pharmacovigilance Database

“…Finally, statins have also been hypothesized to interfere with the spermatogenesis process [75] through their possible influence over the metabolism of cholesterol, which represents the main precursor of steroidal hormones. Cholesterol is also a determinant component of the plasma membrane of the sperm cell, where it certainly influences the protective and fusion capacity of the membrane itself [76].…”

Progress of potential drugs targeted in lipid metabolism research

“…Current HMGCR inhibitors in clinical use are mainly statins (Figure 3A; Table 3). Seven FDA-approved drugs include Lovastatin, Pravastatin, Simvastatin, Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin, Pitavastatin, and Fluvastatin (Omolaoye et al, 2022). The first three inhibitors plus Mevastatin belong to the first generation of statins, derived from fungal products.…”