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Sperm Capacitation as an Oxidative Event

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Book cover Studies on Men's Health and Fertility

Abstract

Capacitation is associated with a mild oxidative stress. Spermatozoa are the only cell type in which a reciprocal reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced ROS formation is demonstrated, the superoxide anion (O •−2 ) promoting nitric oxide (NO•) synthesis and vice versa. Both O •−2 and NO• are essential and are synthesized by sperm enzymes, an oxidase, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and they have specific targets. Semenogelin, zinc ions, and the sulfhydryl/disulfide couple are natural ­regulator for both the oxidase and NOS and are also expected to directly regulate some of the enzymes involved in transduction cascades triggered by O •−2 and NO•. ROS promote all the signal transduction pathways involved during capacitation leading to the late protein Tyr phosphorylation. Sperm hyperactivation and acrosome reaction are also modulated by ROS. Therefore, ROS play major role in sperm ­activation and related stimulation of several processes, multiplicity of enzymatic pathways and types of regulation, cross talks, apparent redundancy of mechanisms, etc. This is expected to insure that spermatozoa acquire their fertility potential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urology Research Laboratory, McGill University Health Center, Royal Victoria Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3A 1A1

    Eve de Lamirande PhD & Cristian O’Flaherty DVM, PhD

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  1. Eve de Lamirande PhD
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  2. Cristian O’Flaherty DVM, PhD
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Correspondence to Eve de Lamirande PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Avenue 9500, Cleveland, 44195, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

  2. Faculty of Science and IT, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, University Drive 1, Callaghan, 2308, New South Wales, Australia

    R. John Aitken

  3. , Department of Male Infertility, Centro Androgen, C/FERNANDO MACIAS 8, 1ºC, La Coruña, 15004, La Coruña, Spain

    Juan G. Alvarez

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de Lamirande, E., O’Flaherty, C. (2012). Sperm Capacitation as an Oxidative Event. In: Agarwal, A., Aitken, R., Alvarez, J. (eds) Studies on Men's Health and Fertility. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-776-7_4

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