TY  - JOUR
AU  - Xie, Kan
AU  - Wang, Chengfeng
AU  - Scifo, Enzo
AU  - Pearson, Brandon
AU  - Ryan, Devon
AU  - Henzel, Kristin
AU  - Markert, Astrid
AU  - Schaaf, Kristina
AU  - Mi, Xue
AU  - Tian, Xin
AU  - Jia, Jiajia
AU  - Wang, Meiqin
AU  - Bonn, Stefan
AU  - Schölling, Manuel
AU  - Möhl, Christoph
AU  - Bano, Daniele
AU  - Zhou, Yu
AU  - Ehninger, Dan
TI  - Intermittent fasting boosts sexual behavior by limiting the central availability of tryptophan and serotonin.
JO  - Cell metabolism
VL  - 37
IS  - 5
SN  - 1550-4131
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
PB  - Elsevier
M1  - DZNE-2025-00597
SP  - 1189 - 1205.e7
PY  - 2025
AB  - Aging affects reproductive capabilities in males through physiological and behavioral alterations, including endocrine changes and decreased libido. In this study, we investigated the influence of intermittent fasting (IF) on these aging-related declines, using male C57BL/6J mice. Our findings revealed that IF significantly preserved reproductive success in aged mice, not by improving traditional reproductive metrics such as sperm quality or endocrine functions but by enhancing mating behavior. This behavioral improvement was attributed to IF's ability to counter age-dependent increases in serotonergic inhibition, primarily through the decreased supply of the serotonin precursor tryptophan from the periphery to the brain. Our research underscores the potential of dietary interventions like IF in mitigating age-associated declines in male reproductive health and suggests a novel approach to managing conditions related to reduced sexual desire, highlighting the complex interplay between diet, metabolism, and reproductive behavior.
KW  - Animals
KW  - Tryptophan: metabolism
KW  - Serotonin: metabolism
KW  - Male
KW  - Fasting: physiology
KW  - Mice, Inbred C57BL
KW  - Sexual Behavior, Animal: physiology
KW  - Mice
KW  - Aging: physiology
KW  - Female
KW  - Intermittent Fasting
KW  - aging (Other)
KW  - amino acid metabolism (Other)
KW  - brain (Other)
KW  - fertility (Other)
KW  - intermittent fasting (Other)
KW  - male (Other)
KW  - reproduction (Other)
KW  - serotonin (Other)
KW  - sexual behavior (Other)
KW  - tryptophan (Other)
KW  - Tryptophan (NLM Chemicals)
KW  - Serotonin (NLM Chemicals)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:40157367
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.03.001
UR  - https://pub.dzne.de/record/278564
ER  -