School of Natural Medicine, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa.
Department of Medical Bioscience, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
Curr Pharm Des. 2017 Nov 28;23(30):4438-4450. doi: 10.2174/1381612822666161019150241.
Oxidative stress (OS), an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant scavengers, is considered an important underlying mechanism associated with ageing, age-related chronic diseases and reproductive decline in males. However, OS is an important regulator of numerous molecular pathways essential for homeostasis within cells, tissues and systems. A fine balance between factors promoting OS and those that scavenge ROS is critically important. In the male reproductive tract and ejaculate, ROS are critical molecular players in essential reproductive processes, including spermatogenesis, epididymal transport, spermatozoa maturation and post-ejaculation processes such as motility, capacitation and the acrosome reaction. Increasing evidence suggests there is an overlap between age-related OS and male reproductive tract dysfunction correlating with reduced fertility potential due to semen quality decline, endocrine changes and sexual dysfunction. With increasing life expectancy in many regions of the world, together with an increasing paternal age and associated risk of for infertility, pregnancy complications and reduced health potential in the offspring, it is becoming increasingly important to fully understand the mechanism linked with these associations. This review considers the role of ROS and OS in fertility regulation, the ageing process, the role for OS in age-related reproductive decline, the approach to assessment in male infertility and the current use of antioxidants as a therapeutic option. Although evidence suggests exogenous antioxidant supplementation is useful in male infertility, caution to excessive or unnecessary use of these approaches is required to avoid the paradox of antioxidants inhibiting essential and beneficial ROS activities in male reproductive biology.
氧化应激（OS）是活性氧（ROS）和抗氧化清除剂之间的失衡，被认为是与衰老、与年龄相关的慢性疾病以及男性生殖能力下降相关的重要潜在机制。然而，OS 是许多对于细胞、组织和系统内的内稳态至关重要的分子途径的重要调节剂。促进 OS 的因素和清除 ROS 的因素之间的精细平衡至关重要。在男性生殖道和精液中，ROS 是包括精子发生、附睾运输、精子成熟以及运动、获能和顶体反应等射精后过程在内的重要生殖过程中的关键分子参与者。越来越多的证据表明，与年龄相关的 OS 与男性生殖道功能障碍之间存在重叠，这与由于精液质量下降、内分泌变化和性功能障碍导致的生育能力降低有关。随着世界许多地区预期寿命的增加，以及父亲年龄的增加和与之相关的不孕、妊娠并发症和后代健康潜力降低的风险增加，充分了解与这些关联相关的机制变得越来越重要。这篇综述考虑了 ROS 和 OS 在生育调节、衰老过程、OS 在与年龄相关的生殖能力下降中的作用、男性不育评估方法以及抗氧化剂作为治疗选择的当前用途。尽管有证据表明外源性抗氧化剂补充剂对男性不育症有用，但需要谨慎使用这些方法，以免出现抗氧化剂抑制男性生殖生物学中必需和有益的 ROS 活性的悖论。
