Animal modeling methods for oligospermia: A review

Abstract

Oligospermia, characterized by a low sperm count in semen, is a major cause of male infertility and may result from various factors including infections, lifestyle choices, retrograde ejaculation, tumors, hormonal imbalances, drug treatments, and environmental exposures. Animal models play a crucial role in understanding its pathophysiology, identifying therapeutic targets, and evaluating potential treatments. The current review highlights experimental models used to induce oligospermia in laboratory animals, focusing on chemical, surgical, and radiation-based approaches. We review the reversible and irreversible methods commonly employed to study impaired spermatogenesis, along with the key endpoints used to assess testicular function and sperm quality. Standard housing and feeding conditions relevant to oligospermia research are also summarized to support reproducibility and methodological consistency in experimental designs.

Keywords

Oligospermia / Infertility / Cyclophosphamide / Cisplatin / Sperm count / Sperm morphology / Testosterone / Spermatogonia

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests regarding the publication of the data included in the manuscript.

Funding

This study did not receive any funding from any organization.

Authors’ contributions

Dinesh Sharma helped in conceptualization of the review and data compilation. Nitesh Parsaila contributed to literature search and initial draft writing. Archana Navale played a crucial role in supervision, data analysis and critical revision of the manuscript. Sagar Shinde reviewed experimental models and pharmacological interventions and contributed to the methodology section. Nishant Patidar and Prachi Nahar assisted in manuscript structuring, reference management, and proofreading. Ajay Shelke contributed to critical evaluation of pharmacological agents and editing the discussion section. Nilay Solanki helped in refining the introduction and conclusion and was involved in final review and approval of the manuscript.

Publisher’ s Note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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