Department of Biophysics, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Phytother Res. 2013 Jun;27(6):802-10. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4799. Epub 2012 Aug 8.
Dietary bioflavonoids represent a large class of polyphenolic compounds found in most plants. A significant number of flavonoids are reported to have beneficial health effects. Quercetin is one such flavonoid which has been reported to possess strong antioxidant properties. However, as far as male reproduction and fertility are concerned, controversial reports exist in the literature highlighting the antioxidant as well as a prooxidant character of quercetin, leaving much to the researcher's speculation. The present review therefore, aimed at addressing this paradoxical behavior of quercetin by taking into account the in vitro and in vivo studies conducted till date regarding its role in the maintenance of male reproductive potential. From the detailed survey of the published data, it appears that the conflicting biological effects of quercetin might relate to its dose and the redox state of the cell. Thus, the cellular toxicity of quercetin metabolites might overshadow the beneficial effects of its supplementation in subjects having reproductive dysfunction coupled with elevated oxidative stress leading to the paradoxical behavior of the flavonoid.
饮食类生物类黄酮是一大类存在于大多数植物中的多酚化合物。有大量报告显示，许多类黄酮对健康有益。槲皮素就是其中一种类黄酮，它被报道具有很强的抗氧化特性。然而，就男性生殖和生育能力而言，文献中存在着相互矛盾的报道，强调了槲皮素的抗氧化和促氧化剂特性，这让研究人员有很多猜测。因此，本综述旨在通过考虑迄今为止关于槲皮素在维持男性生殖潜能方面的体外和体内研究，来解决这种矛盾的行为。从对已发表数据的详细调查来看，槲皮素的这种相互矛盾的生物学效应可能与其剂量和细胞的氧化还原状态有关。因此，槲皮素代谢物的细胞毒性可能会掩盖其补充对生殖功能障碍且氧化应激升高的受试者的有益作用，从而导致这种黄酮类化合物的矛盾行为。
