The relationships between diabetic male infertility, diabetic cognitive impairment, and the neuroendocrine-immune network: A review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a serious public health problem. Diabetes-related male infertility (DMI) and diabetes-related cognitive impairment (DCI) in DM patients are common and easily ignored problems in clinical practice. To explore the deep-seated connections between DMI, DCI, and DM from the neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) network. We reviewed literature related to DMI and DCI separately, and conducted an in-depth analysis of their relationship with the NEI network. Through an extensive literature review, we found that the important mechanisms involved in DMI and DCI are closely related to the NEI network, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-thymus axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-thymus axis. This article elaborates on the different states of these axes in DM patients at different stages, their interrelationships, and how high sugar affects the blood-testis barrier and triggers DMI. The impact of high sugar on the hippocampus leads to a decline in recent memory and cognitive function problems, and the relationship between cognition and the catecholamine system can lead to cognitive impairment during stress states.