Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy.
Department of Woman, Child and General and Special Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, Italy.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2021 Feb;88(2):167-174. doi: 10.1002/mrd.23455. Epub 2021 Jan 31.
Oxidative stress (OS) plays a significant role in the etiology of male infertility, resulting in the impairment of male reproduction. This condition, characterized by an imbalance in the levels of oxidizing and antioxidant species in the seminal fluid, has a harmful impact on sperm functions and DNA integrity. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-genotoxic action of ellagic acid, a polyphenolic molecule of natural origin having a powerful antigenotoxic, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative role. An OS condition was induced in vitro by incubating normozoospermic human semen samples in benzene for 45, 60 and 90 min. DNA integrity was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, RAPD-PCR was performed to calculate the genome template stability, while the percentage of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed by the 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein assay. Our results showed that ellagic acid has a consistent protective effect on DNA integrity, as well as on sperm vitality and motility, by counteracting generation of intracellular ROS. The results of this study suggest ellagic acid as a suitable molecule to protect sperm DNA from oxidative stress, with a potentially significant translational impact on the management of the male infertility.
氧化应激（OS）在男性不育的病因学中起着重要作用，导致男性生殖受损。这种情况的特征是精液中氧化和抗氧化物质水平失衡，对精子功能和 DNA 完整性有有害影响。本研究旨在评估鞣花酸的抗基因毒性作用，鞣花酸是一种天然来源的多酚分子，具有强大的抗原毒性、抗炎和抗增殖作用。通过将正常精子的人精液样本在苯中孵育 45、60 和 90 分钟，在体外诱导 OS 条件。通过末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶 dUTP 缺口末端标记测定法评估 DNA 完整性，通过 RAPD-PCR 计算基因组模板稳定性，而通过 2'，7'-二氯荧光素测定法评估细胞内活性氧物种（ROS）的百分比。我们的结果表明，鞣花酸通过拮抗细胞内 ROS 的产生，对 DNA 完整性以及精子活力和运动性具有一致的保护作用。这项研究的结果表明，鞣花酸是一种保护精子 DNA 免受氧化应激的合适分子，对男性不育症的管理具有潜在的重要转化意义。
