[Traditional Chinese medicine to treat oligoasthenozoospermia by regulating cellular autophagy].

Oligoasthenozoospermia (OAS) is the main factor for male infertility, and the cause and pathogenesis of the disease remain unknown. Emerging data indicate that cellular autophagy is closely correlated with male reproduction, especially the biosynthetic and catabolic processes of spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. Nonetheless, it is not yet clear whether autophagy plays a protective or a harmful role in these processes. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has exhibited a definite therapeutic effect on OAS, and its action mechanism might be closely associated with cellular autophogy，and its related markers and pathways. This article systematically reviews the role of cellular autophagy in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, as well as the therapeutic effect of TCM on OAS by regulating the process of autophagy, aiming to gain a deeper insight into the potential mechanism of TCM acting on OAS and provide some references for further improvement of its clinical efficacy.