Pinho Ana Rita, Rebelo Sandra, Pereira Maria de Lourdes
Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Neuroscience and Signalling Laboratory, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Materials (Basel). 2020 Feb 13;13(4):849. doi: 10.3390/ma13040849.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are among nanoscale materials, attracting increasing attention owing to their exceptional set of characteristics, which makes these engineered nanoparticles a great option for improving the quality and effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment. The capacity of ZnO NPs to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damage, and apoptosis represents a promise for their use in both cancer therapy and microbial treatment. However, their intrinsic toxicity together with their easy entrance and accumulation in organism have raised some concerns regarding the biomedical use of these NPs. Several studies have reported that ZnO NPs might induce cytotoxic effects on the male reproductive system, compromising male fertility. Despite some advances in this area, the knowledge of the effects of ZnO NPs on male fertility is still scarce. Overall, a brief outline of the major ZnO NPs biomedical applications and promises in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic use will also be explored. Further, this review intends to discuss the effect of ZnO NPs exposure on the male reproductive system and speculate their effects on male (in)fertility.
氧化锌纳米颗粒（ZnO NPs）属于纳米级材料，因其一系列独特特性而受到越来越多关注，这使得这些工程纳米颗粒成为提高诊断和治疗质量及效果的理想选择。ZnO NPs诱导活性氧（ROS）生成、DNA损伤和细胞凋亡的能力，使其在癌症治疗和微生物治疗中具有应用前景。然而，它们的内在毒性以及易于进入并在生物体中积累，引发了人们对这些纳米颗粒生物医学应用的一些担忧。多项研究报告称，ZnO NPs可能对雄性生殖系统产生细胞毒性作用，损害男性生育能力。尽管该领域取得了一些进展，但关于ZnO NPs对男性生育能力影响的了解仍然匮乏。总体而言，还将探讨ZnO NPs在生物医学主要应用方面的简要概述及其在诊断和治疗用途方面的前景。此外，本综述旨在讨论暴露于ZnO NPs对雄性生殖系统的影响，并推测其对男性生育（或不育）的影响。
