Oxidative stress and antioxidants in male infertility: a difficult balancw

Infertility is one of the most stressful conditions amongst married couples. Male factor infertilityis implicated in almost half of these cases. Recent advances in the field of reproductive medicinehave focused the attention of many researchers to consider reactive oxygen species (ROS) as one ofthe mediators of infertility causing sperm dysfunction. Although, ROS is involved in manyphysiological functions of human spermatozoa, their excess production results in oxidative stress.Mitochondria and sperm plasma membranes are the two locations of ROS production that involvescomplex enzyme systems such as creatine kinase and diaphorase. ROS causes damage to thespermatozoa DNA, resulting in increased apoptosis of these cells. The production of ROS is greatlyenhanced under the influence of various environmental and life style factors such as pollution andsmoking. An effective scavenging system is essential to counteract the effects of ROS. Variousendogenous antioxidants belonging to both enzymatic and non-enzymatic groups can remove theexcess ROS and prevent oxidative stress. Since, ROS is essential for the normal sperm physiology,rationale use of antioxidants is advocated.