Environmental and occupational exposures to heavy metals have led to various deleterious damages to the biological system of which infertility is one of them. Infertility is a global public health concern, affecting 15% of all couples of reproductive age. Out of the 100% cases of reported infertility among couples, 40% of the cases are related to male factors; including decreased semen quality. This review focuses on the recent mechanistic perspectives of heavy metal-induced male reproductive toxicity. The associated toxic metal-mediated mechanisms of male reproductive toxicity include ion mimicry, disruption of cell signaling pathways, oxidative stress, altered gene expression, epigenetic regulation of gene expression, apoptosis, disruption of testis/blood barrier, inflammation and endocrine disruption. The current literature suggests that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) mediate paternal intergenerational epigenetic inheritance and thus has a direct functional importance, as well as possess novel biomarker potential, for male reproductive toxicity. To identify the specific ncRNAs with the most profound impacts on heavy metal-induced male reproductive toxicity should be thrust of further research.

环境和职业接触重金属已导致对生物系统的各种有害损害，不孕症就是其中之一。不孕不育是一个全球性的公共卫生问题，影响着 15% 的育龄夫妇。在报告的 100% 夫妻不孕案例中，40% 的案例与男性因素有关；包括精液质量下降。本综述重点关注重金属引起的男性生殖毒性的最新机制观点。男性生殖毒性的相关有毒金属介导机制包括离子模拟、细胞信号通路的破坏、氧化应激、基因表达改变、基因表达的表观遗传调控、细胞凋亡、睾丸/血液屏障的破坏、炎症和内分泌破坏。目前的文献表明，非编码 RNA (ncRNA) 介导父系代际表观遗传，因此对男性生殖毒性具有直接的功能重要性，并具有新的生物标志物潜力。确定对重金属诱导的男性生殖毒性具有最深远影响的特定 ncRNA 应该是进一步研究的重点。