Vitamin D3 and Male Reproduction

Abstract

The classical effects of vitamin D3 are modulating calcium and phosphorus metabolic balance and maintaining bone health in vivo. It has been shown that vitamin D3 could regulate animal reproduction. Vitamin D metabolic enzymes synthesize and degrade active vitamin D3 and its metabolic intermediates, and active vitamin D3 exerts its biological effects through binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR). VDR and vitamin D metabolic enzymes expressed in male reproductive system, it suggest that vitamin D3 plays a pivotal role in male reproductive biology. In this review, we mainly focus on the progress of vitamin D3 and male reproduction to provide a theoretical basis for pushing forward the molecular mechanisms research of vitamin D3 effects on male reproduction and clinical therapy for male infertility.