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Male Reproductive and Sexual Health

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 663

Editor


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Guest Editor
Third Department of Urology, Attikon University Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Interests: male infertility; non-obstructive azoospermia; sperm retrieval (micro-TESE/TESE); male reproductive tract microbiome; oxidative stress and inflammation; biomarkers and predictive models (including AI/ML); hypogonadism and testosterone therapy; translational and molecular urology/andrology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Male reproductive and sexual health is central to well-being and fertility, yet it faces persistent clinical and public-health challenges, and recent reports suggesting declining semen quality in several populations have intensified interest in potentially modifiable risks and in earlier, prevention-oriented interventions.

Male factor infertility may account for a substantial share of infertility cases, but many presentations remain idiopathic despite standard evaluation. At the same time, advances in molecular profiling, imaging, bioengineering, and computational approaches are reshaping risk stratification, diagnosis, and treatment selection across male infertility and assisted reproduction.

Male sexual health disorders—including erectile dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain/prostatitis syndromes, hypogonadism, and fibrotic conditions such as Peyronie's disease—provide complementary translational models for vascular dysfunction, inflammation, endocrine signaling, and tissue remodeling. Mechanistic studies and biomarker-driven clinical research are needed to improve phenotyping and accelerate the development of targeted therapies.

In this context, this Special Issue of IJMS will gather together contributions that highlight molecular mechanisms, biomarkers, and translational advances in male reproductive and sexual health. The themes covered by this Special Issue align well with the scope of IJMS by emphasizing molecular biology and molecular medicine with clear clinical relevance in urology and andrology.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and short communications are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Molecular mechanisms in male infertility (genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic regulation of spermatogenesis and sperm function);
  • Biomarkers for erectile dysfunction and prostatic inflammation (molecular diagnostics, imaging-linked biomarkers, and endotypes);
  • Translational models for Peyronie's disease and related fibrotic disorders (pathways, targets, and preclinical-to-clinic bridges);
  • Novel therapies and nanotechnologies in male reproductive health (drug delivery, regenerative strategies, and emerging therapeutics);
  • Molecular responses to testosterone and androgen deprivation (tissue-specific signaling, adverse effects, and mitigation strategies).

Dr. Aris Kaltsas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • male reproductive health
  • male sexual health
  • male infertility
  • erectile dysfunction (ED)
  • prostate inflammation
  • Peyronie's disease
  • biomarkers
  • molecular mechanisms
  • androgen deprivation
  • nanotechnology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

22 pages, 1716 KB  
Review
Seminal-Plasma Molecular Biomarkers as a Liquid Biopsy of Testicular Function: Toward AI-Ready Sperm-Retrieval Prediction in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia
by Aris Kaltsas, Fotios Gasparos, Andreas Koumenis, Marios Stavropoulos and Michael Chrisofos
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(13), 5965; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27135965 - 2 Jul 2026
Viewed by 264
Abstract
Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is characterized by focal and quantitatively limited spermatogenesis, making preoperative prediction of sperm retrieval difficult. Seminal plasma is a biologically plausible liquid-biopsy compartment because it contains testicular, epididymal and accessory-gland secretions enriched with extracellular vesicles, cell-free nucleic acids, proteins and [...] Read more.
Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is characterized by focal and quantitatively limited spermatogenesis, making preoperative prediction of sperm retrieval difficult. Seminal plasma is a biologically plausible liquid-biopsy compartment because it contains testicular, epididymal and accessory-gland secretions enriched with extracellular vesicles, cell-free nucleic acids, proteins and metabolites. This narrative molecular review examines the mechanisms by which germ-cell-derived molecular cargo reaches the ejaculate and organizes seminal-plasma biomarkers by cargo class and spermatogenic stage. Particular attention is given to extracellular-vesicle non-coding RNAs, cell-free seminal mRNAs, germ-cell-enriched proteins including TEX101 and ECM1, and metabolomic and lipidomic signatures. Although several markers show promising discrimination, most remain discovery-stage, single-center and insufficiently validated. The central argument is that the field should move from isolated biomarker nomination toward locked, stage-mapped multi-analyte panels integrated with clinical and genetic predictors under modern prediction-model standards. Seminal plasma is best viewed not as a ready clinical test, but as a biologically coherent platform for future calibrated, externally validated and artificial-intelligence (AI)-ready sperm-retrieval decision support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Male Reproductive and Sexual Health)
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