Unraveling the Balance between Genes, Microbes, Lifestyle and the Environment to Improve Healthy Reproduction

Abstract

Humans’ health is the result of a complex and balanced interplay between genetic factors, environmental stimuli, lifestyle habits, and the microbiota composition. The knowledge about their single contributions, as well as the complex network linking each to the others, is pivotal to understand the mechanisms underlying the onset of many diseases and can provide key information for their prevention, diagnosis and therapy. This applies also to reproduction. Reproduction, involving almost 10% of our genetic code, is one of the most critical human’s functions and is a key element to assess the well-being of a population. The last decades revealed a progressive decline of reproductive outcomes worldwide. As a consequence, there is a growing interest in unveiling the role of the different factors involved in human reproduction and great efforts have been carried out to improve its outcomes. As for many other diseases, it is now clear that the interplay between the underlying genetics, our commensal microbiome, the lifestyle habits and the environment we live in can either exacerbate the outcome or mitigate the adverse effects. Here, we aim to analyze how each of these factors contribute to reproduction highlighting their individual contribution and providing supporting evidence of how to modify their impact and overall contribution to a healthy reproductive status.

Metagenomics Reveals Specific Microbial Features in Males with Semen Alterations

“…Male infertility represents a highly heterogeneous condition that may be related to pre-testicular (i.e., alterations of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis), testicular, and post-testicular (i.e., urogenital obstructions, vasectomy, and accessory glands impairment) diseases [ 2 ]. Moreover, genetic, environmental, and microbiological factors have also been related to this condition [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The correct identification of the possible cause of male infertility, together with the female partner assessment, is crucial for proper couples’ evaluation and ensuring the best strategy to improve couples’ reproductive outcomes [ 6 ].…”

Inference of drowning sites using bacterial composition and random forest algorithm

“…This similarity facilitates the discovery of differences caused by different processing factors. However, the situation is different in forensic practice, as humans have a more complex biological background and lifestyle ( D’Argenio et al, 2021 ). Therefore, the information obtained should be further validated in humans.…”

Microbial Dysbiosis and Male Infertility: Understanding the Impact and Exploring Therapeutic Interventions

“…The "seminovaginal microbiota", transmitted between partners during sexual activity, can influence couple fertility. Comprehensive fertility assessments should consider the microbiota of both partners [83].…”