Oxidative stress damage to human spermatozoa

ironjustice@aol.com · medicine forum Guru Joined: 28 Apr 2005 Posts: 1522

Reactive oxygen species in spermatozoa: methods for monitoring and
significance for the origins of genetic disease and infertility
Mark A Baker and R John Aitken
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development,
Reproductive Science Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences,
University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia

Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2005, 3:67
doi:10.1186/1477-7827-3-67

Published 29 November 2005

Abstract

Human spermatozoa generate low levels of reactive oxygen species in
order to stimulate key events, such as tyrosine phosphorylation,
associated with sperm capacitation. However, if the generation of these
potentially pernicious oxygen metabolites becomes elevated for any
reason, spermatozoa possess a limited capacity to protect themselves
from oxidative stress. As a consequence, exposure of human spermatozoa
to intrinsically- or extrinsically- generated reactive oxygen
intermediates can result in a state of oxidative stress characterized
by peroxidative damage to the sperm plasma membrane and DNA damage to
the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Oxidative stress in the male
germ line is associated with poor fertilization rates, impaired
embryonic development, high levels of abortion and increased morbidity
in the offspring, including childhood cancer. In this review, we
consider the possible origins of oxidative damage to human spermatozoa
and reflect on the important contribution such stress might make to the
origins of genetic disease in our species.

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