Departments of Surgery (Urology Division) and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Andrology. 2019 Sep;7(5):662-668. doi: 10.1111/andr.12630. Epub 2019 May 1.
During the post-testicular maturation that occurs in the epididymis, spermatozoa need to face biochemical and morphological changes that may make them vulnerable to oxidative damage. During spermatogenesis and the epididymal maturation, the spermatozoon acquires antioxidant enzymes needed to face possible increases of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by its own aerobic metabolism but also due to ROS produced in high quantities by abnormal spermatozoa.
Provide an up-to-date review of the enzymatic antioxidant system in the epididymis.
A thorough literature review was performed for papers concerning the players of the antioxidant defenses in the epididymis.
The antioxidant system in the epididymis is composed by superoxide dismutases, catalase, glutathione peroxidases, peroxiredoxins, glutathione-S-transferases, thioredoxins and thioredoxin reductase. They work together to maintain low levels of ROS during the epididymal maturation. Knockout models revealed that the absence of one of the enzyme impact sperm quality affecting a variety of proteins involved in motility, the ability to fertilize oocyte, and promotes oxidative damage to the sperm DNA.
These findings suggest that each enzyme is playing a specific role, and in most of the cases, no compensatory mechanisms are put in place when one enzyme is absent. This review highlights the different antioxidant enzymes in the epididymis and their role during maturation of the spermatozoon.
在附睾中发生的睾丸后成熟过程中，精子需要经历生化和形态学变化，这可能使它们容易受到氧化损伤。在精子发生和附睾成熟过程中，精子获得了应对自身有氧代谢产生的活性氧物种 (ROS) 增加以及异常精子大量产生的 ROS 所需的抗氧化酶。
提供关于附睾中酶抗氧化系统的最新综述。
对涉及附睾抗氧化防御机制的论文进行了全面的文献综述。
附睾中的抗氧化系统由超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化氢酶、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶、过氧化物酶、谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶、硫氧还蛋白和硫氧还蛋白还原酶组成。它们共同作用，在附睾成熟过程中维持低水平的 ROS。敲除模型表明，一种酶的缺失会影响精子质量，影响多种与运动能力、受精卵子能力相关的蛋白质，并促进精子 DNA 的氧化损伤。
这些发现表明，每种酶都发挥着特定的作用，而且在大多数情况下，当一种酶缺失时，不会出现代偿机制。本综述强调了附睾中不同的抗氧化酶及其在精子成熟过程中的作用。
