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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Evaluation of Intracellular Location of Reactive Oxygen Species in Solea Senegalensis Spermatozoa
Published on: March 11, 2018
Free radical theory of aging: implications in male infertility
Nisarg Desai1, Edmund Sabanegh, Taesoo Kim
1Center for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Abstract:
This review examines the effect of mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aging on human spermatozoa and seminal antioxidants. We discuss the effect of continuous ROS production on biomarkers of aging, such as germ cell telomeres and telomerase, lipofuscin, and amyloid. These markers may be responsible for telomere shortening and subsequent decrease in sperm count, decline in testosterone concentration, and decline in motility with aging. Excessive ROS can also damage mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid and sperm nuclear DNA, contributing to paternally transmitted diseases. ROS generation has a central role in the pathophysiology of age-related decrease in male fertility.
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