Targeting the CMKLR1‐Mediated Signaling Rebalances Immunometabolism State in Middle‐Age Testicular Macrophages
Age-related male hypogonadism is often associated with obesity-related metabolic disorders and impaired regulation of the testicular anti-inflammatory microenvironment. However, how adipose-mediated signals intersect with local testicular immunity remains unclear. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human and mouse testes identified a conserved CD206<sup>Lo</sup>MHCII<sup>Hi</sup> macrophage subset, which undergoes CMKLR1-mediated metabolic reprogramming toward glycolysis and pro-inflammatory state during middle age. This immunometabolic shift is further found to impair spermatogenesis. CMKLR1 is identified as a viable target in vivo for restoring immunometabolic balance in aging testes. Systemic administration of a newly developed CMKLR1 antagonist peptide (P12C5) or non-pharmacological intervention such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) rescued spermatogenesis in middle-aged humans and mice, and reversed the pro-inflammatory immunometabolic phenotype in testicular macrophages. Together, these findings validate CMKLR1 as a key modulator of testicular immunometabolism and a therapeutic target for mitigating age-related immunometabolic dysfunction.
Authors
- Jinchunzi Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8519-2878)
- Yali Yang
- Bo Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8908-8891)
- Zhendong Zhu
- Lei Ge
- Jian V. Zhang
- Tianxia Xiao
- Feifei Du
- Jie Chen
- Yang Liu
Institutions
- Jinan University (CN)
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health (CN)
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (CN)
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (CN)
- Shenzhen Technology University (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- China Medical University (CN)
- Guangzhou Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202515166
- Primary Topic
- Sperm and Testicular Function
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province