Moretti Elena, Signorini Cinzia, Corsaro Roberta, Giamalidi Maria, Collodel Giulia
Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, 15701 Athens, Greece.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 May 15;12(5):1098. doi: 10.3390/antiox12051098.
Spermatozoa are highly differentiated cells that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to aerobic metabolism. Below a certain threshold, ROS are important in signal transduction pathways and cellular physiological processes, whereas ROS overproduction damages spermatozoa. Sperm manipulation and preparation protocols during assisted reproductive procedures-for example, cryopreservation-can result in excessive ROS production, exposing these cells to oxidative damage. Thus, antioxidants are a relevant topic in sperm quality. This narrative review focuses on human spermatozoa as an in vitro model to study which antioxidants can be used to supplement media. The review comprises a brief presentation of the human sperm structure, a general overview of the main items of reduction-oxidation homeostasis and the ambivalent relationship between spermatozoa and ROS. The main body of the paper deals with studies in which human sperm have been used as an in vitro model to test antioxidant compounds, including natural extracts. The presence and the synergic effects of different antioxidant molecules could potentially lead to more effective products in vitro and, in the future, in vivo.
精子是高度分化的细胞，由于有氧代谢会产生活性氧（ROS）。在一定阈值以下，ROS在信号转导途径和细胞生理过程中很重要，而ROS的过量产生会损害精子。辅助生殖程序中的精子处理和制备方案，例如冷冻保存，可能会导致ROS过度产生，使这些细胞遭受氧化损伤。因此，抗氧化剂是精子质量方面的一个相关话题。这篇叙述性综述聚焦于将人类精子作为体外模型，以研究哪些抗氧化剂可用于补充培养基。该综述简要介绍了人类精子结构，概述了氧化还原稳态的主要内容以及精子与ROS之间的矛盾关系。论文主体部分涉及以人类精子作为体外模型来测试抗氧化化合物（包括天然提取物）的研究。不同抗氧化分子的存在及其协同作用可能会在体外乃至未来在体内产生更有效的产品。
