Significance of Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidants in Defining the Efficacy of Sperm Preparation Techniques
R. John Aitken,Jane S. Clarkson +1 more
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Assessment of the ability of the antioxidants, butylated hydroxytoluene, and vitamin E, to curtail the peroxidative damage inflicted by cells in response to centrifugation revealed a significant improvement of sperm function in the presence of vitamin E.Abstract:
The mechanisms responsible for mediating the influence of sperm preparation protocols on human sperm function have been investigated. Techniques that involved the separation of motile spermatozoa prior to centrifugation were found to yield sperm suspensions of highest quality. If the spermatozoa were centrifuged prior to isolation of the motile cells, sperm function was impaired. The detrimental effects of centrifugation were associated with a sudden burst of reactive oxygen species production by a discrete subpopulation of cells (characterized by significantly diminished motility and fertilizing capacity) that could be separated from normal functional spermatozoa on Percoll gradients. If unfractionated sperm suspensions were subjected to centrifugation, the reactive oxygen species generated by this subpopulation impaired the functional competence of normal spermatozoa in the same suspension. Assessment of the ability of the antioxidants, butylated hydroxytoluene, and vitamin E, to curtail the peroxidative damage inflicted by such cells in response to centrifugation revealed a significant improvement of sperm function in the presence of vitamin E.read more
Citations
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Sperm recovery techniques to maximize fertilizing capacity
TL;DR: Pharmacological stimulation of sperm motility may increase yields but, for in vitro fertilization (IVF), such spermatozoa must be used to inseminate oocytes as soon as possible after exposure to the stimulant, although after its removal.
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Relative contribution of leukocytes and of spermatozoa to reactive oxygen species production in human sperm suspensions
Kate Whittington,W. C. L. Ford +1 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that infiltrating leukocytes are the predominant source of ROS production in unpurified sperm preparations and some purified sperm suspensions could be stimulated to produce ROS by the addition of PMA indicating that spermatozoa themselves may produce ROS, albeit in much smaller amounts.
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Multiple forms of redox activity in populations of human spermatozoa
TL;DR: It is concluded that human spermatozoa possess multiple plasma membrane redox systems that are involved to varying extents in the physiological control and pathological disruption of sperm function.
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Sperm selection capacity of the human zona pellucida.
TL;DR: Results indicate that a selective process against abnormal spermatozoa occurs at the site of the zona pellucida, points out another potential use of the HZA, i.e., selection of sperm to be used in assisted fertilization.
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α-tocopherol in human spermatozoa and seminal plasma: relationships with motility, antioxidant enzymes and leukocytes
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References
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Cellular basis of defective sperm function and its association with the genesis of reactive oxygen species by human spermatozoa.
TL;DR: Studies with scavengers of reactive oxygen species revealed that, while reagents directed against singlet oxygen and the hydroxyl radical were without effect, cytochrome C reduced the response to A23187 by about 50%, suggesting that the superoxide anion radical is a major product of the activated human spermatozoon.
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Spontaneous lipid peroxidation and production of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide in human spermatozoa. Superoxide dismutase as major enzyme protectant against oxygen toxicity.
TL;DR: The results suggest that superoxide dismutase plays the major role in protecting human spermatozoa against lipid peroxidation, and the superoxide Dismutase activity of a fresh sperm sample appears to be a good predictor of the lifetime (up to the complete loss of motility) of that particular sample, and so may prove useful in semen analysis.
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The Use of Zona-Free Animal Ova as a Test-System for the Assessment of the Fertilizing Capacity of Human Spermatozoa
TL;DR: The results suggest that zona-free hamster ova can be substituted for human ova in the preliminary assessment of the fertilizing capacity of human spermatozoa.
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Peroxidative Breakdown of Phospholipids in Human Spermatozoa, Spermicidal Properties of Fatty Acid Peroxides, and Protective Action of Seminal Plasma
TL;DR: The antiperoxidant factor present in human seminal plasma effectively counteracts the toxic effect of exogenous peroxidized fatty acids upon human spermatozoa, but is unable to restore motility lost by lipid peroxide action.