Antioxidant Properties of Polyphenols and Their Potential Use in Improvement of Male Fertility: A Review

There has been a growing interest in the use of plant bioactive substances, such as polyphenols, as antioxidants in assisted reproduction technologies. Previous studies have focused on the use of vitamins C and E as potent antioxidants for semen cryopreservation in mammals [1,2]. However, some polyphenols such as quercetin, a secondary metabolite in plants, have been found to exhibit higher antioxidant activity and lower toxicity than synthetic antioxidants [3,4]. Plant derived compounds and their capacity for improvement of fertility have been previously examined through intake as dietary supplements in humans and in animals [5,6]. Assisted reproduction technologies, such as cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization (IVF), may also involve the use of antioxidant supplements in culture media [7,8].