Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Chemical Biology Letters, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.1-22, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
Declining sperm counts are increasingly reported worldwide, yet their biological and clinical significance remains uncertain. Although meta-analyses suggest a long-term downward trend, interpretation is limited by methodological variation and an overreliance on sperm count as a single marker of male reproductive health. This creates a critical gap between population level observations and underlying biology, leaving many cases labelled as idiopathic despite measurable dysfunction. This review addresses this gap by proposing a hypothesis driven framework that integrates oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction as interacting drivers of male infertility. Rather than acting independently, environmental exposures, lifestyle factors, and developmental influences converge on shared biological pathways that impair spermatogenesis and sperm function. This model explains the variability in clinical presentation while accounting for consistent population level decline. By shifting the focus from isolated semen parameters to interconnected biological processes, the framework provides a basis for mechanism-based classification and targeted management. It also supports a more coherent interpretation of epidemiological trends. Declining sperm counts are therefore better understood not as an isolated finding, but as an indicator of broader systemic dysfunction with implications for reproductive and general health. Keywords: inflammation, male infertility, metabolic dysfunction, oxidative stress, sperm coun