[Ferroptosis in male reproductive system diseases: Progress in research]

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death triggered by the excessive accumulation of lipid peroxides on the cell membrane. Recent studies have found that ferroptosis can be induced by exposure of the testis tissue and germ cells to some high-risk factors, accompanied by various characteristic reproductive system injuries, including changes in cell morphology, ferroptosis-related physicochemical indicators and gene expressions. This review focuses on the association of ferroptosis with male reproductive system diseases from three key aspects: iron metabolism abnormalities, Cystine/GSH/GPX4 axis imbalance, and lipid peroxidation.