Intestinal microbiota defines the GUT-TESTIS axis

Fertility disorders affect 15% of couples and around 40% of infertilities are attributed to men. Altered fertility could stem from cell damages following exposures to stresses such as metabolic disorders or chemodrugs. Recent publications in Gut1–4 demonstrate that reduction of the richness and/or diversity of intestinal microbiota (IM), in the context of high-fat/high-sugar (HF/HS) diet or exposure to anticancer drugs (Busufan), negatively impact testicular physiology leading to reduced sperm production. These works highlight that transplantation of the faecal microbiota (FMT) represents an emerging area of interest to restore spermatogenesis and cure some fertility disorders. Additional questions need to be addressed to better define the links between the IM and male fertility. (1) It remains to be defined to which types of obesity these encouraging data could be …