{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T06:04:57Z","timestamp":1790661897849,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790640000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Reprod. Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Alcohol consumption is a recognized modifiable lifestyle factor affecting male reproductive health. Yet, its dose-dependent effects on accessory gland function and sperm genomic integrity remains poorly elucidated. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and the accessory gland-sperm function axis, focusing on the mediating role of oxidative stress in cellular and molecular damage.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 126 men undergoing fertility evaluation were stratified into a control cohort (non\u2013drinkers with normozoospermia,\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200925) and three alcohol\u2013consuming infertile cohorts: mild (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200937), moderate (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200931), and heavy (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200933). A standard semen analysis was performed following world Health Organization (2021) guidelines, while seminal plasma was quantified for accessory gland markers (fructose and total protein concentration) and an oxidative stress marker (malondialdehyde levels). Nuclear maturity and DNA integrity were evaluated using aniline blue and acridine orange fluorescence staining.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The findings demonstrated that alcohol consumption was associated with a dose-dependent deterioration across all standard semen parameters, particularly correlating with teratozoospermia (&amp;lt;4% normal morphology). Seminal fructose and total protein concentrations were decreased significantly with alcohol intake levels (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.0001), whereas MDA levels exhibited a drastic elevation (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.0001). A correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between seminal fructose and total motility (r\u2009=\u20090.867,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.0001). Furthermore, MDA levels were strongly correlated with chromatin condensation defects (r\u2009=\u20090.841) and the sperm DNA fragmentation index (r\u2009=\u20090.880,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.0001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings suggest that chronic alcohol consumption is associated with impaired male fertility potential by supressing accessory gland secretory function and with elevated systemic oxidative stress. Even long-term mild alcohol consumption was associated with considerable levels of oxidative stress that affect chromatin packaging and DNA integrity. Men undergoing fertility evaluation, particularly prior to assisted reproductive techniques, may benefit from counseling on alcohol reduction or abstinence to safeguard embryo genomic integrity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/frph.2026.1934203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T05:46:30Z","timestamp":1790660790000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Alcohol and male infertility: is there a safe dose? Evidence of accessory gland dysfunction, oxidative stress, and sperm DNA damage"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"P.","family":"Jagadesh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Gene Cloning Technology Lab, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology","place":["Vellore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"T. B.","family":"Sridharan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VIT Bhopal University","place":["Bhopal"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1038\/s41572-023-00459-w","article-title":"Male infertility","volume":"9","author":"Eisenberg","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nat Rev Dis Primers"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"320","DOI":"10.5935\/1518-0557.20240007","article-title":"Implications of lifestyle factors on male reproductive health","volume":"28","author":"Rotimi","year":"2024","journal-title":"JBRA Assisted Reproduction"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1770866","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1770866","article-title":"Environmental determinants of male infertility: emerging threats and technological interventions","volume":"13","author":"Jagadesh","year":"2026","journal-title":"Front Med (Lausanne)"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"942","DOI":"10.1007\/s43032-023-01401-x","article-title":"Etiology of male infertility: an update","volume":"31","author":"Bhattacharya","year":"2024","journal-title":"Reprod Sci"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1080\/20905998.2024.2421626","article-title":"Can lifestyle changes significantly improve male fertility: a narrative review?","volume":"23","author":"Bocu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arab J Urol"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"01","DOI":"10.35946\/arcr.v40.2.01","article-title":"Gender differences in the epidemiology of alcohol use and related harms in the United States","volume":"40","author":"White","year":"2020","journal-title":"Alcohol Research: Current Reviews"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1186\/s40738-017-0037-x","article-title":"Alcohol and fertility: how much is too much?","volume":"3","author":"Van Heertum","year":"2017","journal-title":"Fertil Res Pract"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"368","DOI":"10.1111\/and.12284","article-title":"Chronic consumption of alcohol and sperm parameters: our experience and the main evidences","volume":"47","author":"Condorelli","year":"2015","journal-title":"Andrologia"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1007\/s12263-009-0159-9","article-title":"Ethanol-induced oxidative stress: basic knowledge","volume":"5","author":"Comporti","year":"2010","journal-title":"Genes Nutr"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lfs.2007.05.005","article-title":"Alcohol-induced oxidative stress","volume":"81","author":"Das","year":"2007","journal-title":"Life Sci"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19010328","article-title":"Impact of alcohol consumption on male fertility potential: a narrative review","volume":"19","author":"Finelli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e15723","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e15723","article-title":"Investigating the association between alcohol intake and male reproductive function: a current meta-analysis","volume":"9","author":"Nguyen-Thanh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"399","DOI":"10.5530\/ijopp.20250350","article-title":"The impact of alcohol on male fertility","volume":"18","author":"Bohra","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ind J Pharmacy Pract"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"690","DOI":"10.1111\/andr.12521","article-title":"Alcohol intake and semen variables: cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study of men referring to an Italian fertility clinic","volume":"6","author":"Ricci","year":"2018","journal-title":"Andrology"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2605.2001.00306.x","article-title":"True corrected seminal fructose level: a better marker of the function of seminal vesicles in infertile men","volume":"24","author":"Gonzales","year":"2001","journal-title":"Int J Androl"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"907","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jprot.2009.01.007","article-title":"Clinical collection and protein properties of expressed prostatic secretions as a source for biomarkers of prostatic disease","volume":"72","author":"Drake","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Proteomics"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1600-0897.2011.01033.x","article-title":"Seminal plasma proteins: what role do they play?","volume":"66","author":"Rodr\u00edguez-Mart\u00ednez","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am J Reprod Immunol"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1520835","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2025.1520835","article-title":"Mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced sperm dysfunction","volume":"16","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1555","DOI":"10.3390\/biom12111555","article-title":"Electrophilic aldehyde 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal mediated signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction","volume":"12","author":"Sharma","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biomolecules"},{"key":"B20","volume-title":"WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen","year":"2021"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.17305\/bjbms.2017.2173","article-title":"Adapted methods for scanning electron microscopy in assessment of human sperm morphology","volume":"18","author":"Nussdorfer","year":"2017","journal-title":"Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.1017\/S0021859600006109","article-title":"Fructose content and fructolysis in semen. Practical application in the evaluation of semen quality","volume":"38","author":"Mann","year":"1948","journal-title":"J Agric Sci"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.1016\/S0021-9258(19)52451-6","article-title":"Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent","volume":"193","author":"Lowry","year":"1951","journal-title":"J Biol Chem"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1439-0272.2011.01228.x","article-title":"High levels of lipid peroxidation in semen of diabetic patients","volume":"44","author":"La Vignera","year":"2012","journal-title":"Andrologia"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1439-0272.2012.01337.x","article-title":"Sperm selection based on motility in polyvinylpyrrolidone is associated with successful pregnancy and embryo development","volume":"45","author":"Irez","year":"2013","journal-title":"Andrologia"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(16)47963-X","article-title":"A test for the practical evaluation of male fertility by acridine orange (AO) fluorescence","volume":"42","author":"Tejada","year":"1984","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11812","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms262411812","article-title":"Genetic and epigenetic risks of male infertility in ART","volume":"26","author":"Zikopoulos","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Mol Sci"},{"key":"B28","year":""},{"key":"B29","year":"2026"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Reproductive Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/frph.2026.1934203\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T05:46:31Z","timestamp":1790660791000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/frph.2026.1934203\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"references-count":29,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/frph.2026.1934203"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/frph.2026.1934203","relation":{},"ISSN":["2673-3153"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2673-3153","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"article-number":"1934203"}}