Abstract
Semen samples are known to contain abnormal amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxygen free radicals; therefore, the identification of antioxidant molecules able to counteract the oxidative damage caused by ROS is foresight. Indeed, improving semen quality in terms of motility and reduction in DNA damage, can significantly improve the fertilization potential of sperm in vitro. To this regard, myo-inositol, based on its antioxidant properties, has been reported to be effective in improving sperm quality and motility in oligoasthenozoospermic patients undergoing assisted reproduction techniques when used as a dietary supplementation. Moreover, in vitro treatment demonstrated a direct relationship between myo-inositol, mitochondrial membrane potential and sperm motility. This experimental study aimed to evaluate the effects of myo-inositol (Andrositol-lab) in vitro treatment on sperm motility, capacitation, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and DNA damage. Our results demonstrate that myo-inositol induces a significant increase in sperm motility and in oxygen consumption, the main index of oxidative phosphorylation efficiency and ATP production, both in basal and in in vitro capacitated samples. Moreover, we provide evidence for a significant protective role of myo-inositol against oxidative damage to DNA, thus supporting the in vitro use of myo-inositol in assisted reproductive techniques. Even if further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying the antioxidant properties of myo-inositol, the present findings significantly extend our knowledge on human male fertility and pave the way to the definition of evidence-based guidelines, aiming to improve the in vitro procedure currently used in ART laboratory for sperm selection.
Highlights
Male infertility represents an urgent social burden, considering that 15% of all couples around the world are infertile and that male factor can be diagnosed in about 50% of these cases [1,2,3]
The most frequent and typical causes for male infertility are represented by varicocele, cryptorchidism, infections, obstructive lesions, trauma, and cancer [1]; noteworthily, the exact etiology of male factor infertility still remains undiagnosed in about 30% to 50% of patients, who are classified as idiopathic cases [4]
oxidative stress (OS) is defined as a result of the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants; the presence of anomalous concentrations of ROS has been detected in 30% to 80% of infertile men and this condition seems to lead to sperm damage, and eventually male infertility [7,8]
Summary
Male infertility represents an urgent social burden, considering that 15% of all couples around the world are infertile and that male factor can be diagnosed in about 50% of these cases [1,2,3]. The most frequent and typical causes for male infertility are represented by varicocele, cryptorchidism, infections, obstructive lesions, trauma, and cancer [1]; noteworthily, the exact etiology of male factor infertility still remains undiagnosed in about 30% to 50% of patients, who are classified as idiopathic cases [4]. ROS are the most widespread group of free radicals that, due to an unpaired electron in the outer orbital, may trigger an extremely detrimental chain mechanism mainly affecting both the plasma membrane and DNA [9]. Based on this mechanism, ROS are capable of compromising sperm quality and functions
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