Oxidative Stress and Male Infertility: What is New in the Laboratory?

Mammalian spermatozoa generate a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are thought to play a role during sperm capacitation, acrosome reaction, and oocyte fusion. However, oxidative stress (OS) occurs if the generation of ROS overwhelms the body’s limited antioxidant defenses. Infertility is the main complication associated with high levels of OS in the seminal fluid. Patients with idiopathic infertility present with significantly higher seminal ROS levels than fertile men. It is evident that OS is an independent measure of sperm quality. The process by which spermatozoa produce ROS is not fully understood. Immature spermatozoa contain excessive cytoplasm containing enzymes such as NADPH oxidase, which may be responsible for ROS production. Recently, we prospectively evaluated its role in ROS generation. of NADPH but only when lucigenin was used as a probe. O2 ●-