Toxicity of exogenous fatty acid peroxides towards spermatozoa.

The toxicity of unsaturated fatty acids towards spermatozoa was shown to be directly related to their degree of peroxidation. The toxicity was manifested by an immediate arrest of motility and irreversible loss of respiratory and fructolytic activity. Repeated washing of spermatozoa, or the addition of fructose, lactate, or ATP, failed to restore these functions. The structural damage incurred as a result of the fatty acid peroxides was particularly evident in the acrosomal region. Partial protection from the adverse effects of these peroxides was provided by prior treatment of spermatozoa with dialysed egg yolk or milk, but tocopherol, albumin and mercapto-ethanol were ineffective. It is suggested that lipid peroxides or their degradation products, whether introduced exogenously or derived from the peroxidation of endogenous phospholipids in semen, constitute a potential hazard to the functional integrity of spermatozoa.