Which causes millions of people to die every year in the world; Air pollution, which disrupts the ecological balance and has more serious effects on our daily lives, is one of the important causes of the climate crisis. Despite decades of research by scientists and frightening future scenarios, the climate crisis, which has only just begun to be taken seriously, and the topics that cause it, not only negatively affect the planet, but also human health.
One of the best examples of this is research on air pollution. Some studies conducted in the past have revealed a relationship between air pollution and obesity, diabetes and fertility due to stress messages sent from the brain. A new study has added a new one to the negative effects of air pollution on human health.
Sperm count is decreasing:
Research on mice conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine revealed that air pollution causes inflammation in the brain, reducing sperm count. Researchers investigating the reason behind the decrease in sperm count observed in various studies around the world in recent years showed that air pollution is an important factor.
The lead researcher of the study, Zhekang Ying, emphasized that the damage caused by air pollution in the brains of mice can be corrected by removing the inflammation marker. Ying said, “We have seen that we can develop therapies that will improve the effects of air pollution on fertility.”
In the study, healthy mice and mice without an inflammation marker called IKK2 in their brains were exposed to polluted air. While a decrease in sperm count of healthy mice was detected, no change was observed in IKK2 mutant mice. Then, in the second phase of the study, IKK2 markers in some neurons were removed, and a hormone associated with sleep patterns and obesity was found to be responsible for the decrease in sperm count.
These neurons are located in the hypothalamus, where impulses such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire are controlled. The hypothalamus, which works together with the pituitary gland, which communicates directly with the reproductive organs with the hormones it secretes, has an important place in the research. Speaking on the subject, Ying sums up the situation with the words, “It is actually quite logical that the neurons in the hypothalamus, which we know to be an important bridge between the brain and reproductive organs, give an inflammatory response that causes a decrease in sperm count.”
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