Abstract |
Defective sperm function in infertile men has been associated with increased lipid peroxidation and impaired function of antioxidant defenses in spermatozoa. Evidence strongly suggests that CoQ10, a lipid-soluble component of the respiratory chain acts, in its reduced form ( ubiquinol), as a potent antioxidant in various biological systems, such as lipoproteins and membranes. In this study we assayed CoQ10 content in both the reduced and oxidized form ( ubiquinol/ ubiquinone), and hydroperoxide levels in seminal plasma and seminal fluid from 32 subjects with a history of infertility. Our results showed a significant correlation between ubiquinol content and sperm count (r = 0.62; P < 0.05) in seminal plasma. An inverse correlation between ubiquinol content and hydroperoxide levels both in seminal plasma and in seminal fluid (r = -0.56; P = 0.01) was found. Using multiple regression analysis we also found a strong correlation among sperm count, motility and ubiquinol-10 content (P < 0.01) in seminal fluid. An inverse correlation between ubiquinol/ ubiquinone ratio and percentage of abnormal morphology was also observed in total fluid. These results suggest that ubiquinol-10 inhibits hydroperoxide formation in seminal fluid and in seminal plasma. Since peroxidation in sperm cells is an important factor affecting male infertility, ubiquinol could assume a diagnostic and/or a therapeutic role in these patients.
|
Authors | R Alleva, A Scararmucci, F Mantero, S Bompadre, L Leoni, G P Littarru |
Journal | Molecular aspects of medicine
(Mol Aspects Med)
Vol. 18 Suppl
Pg. S221-8
( 1997)
ISSN: 0098-2997 [Print] England |
PMID | 9266525
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
|
Chemical References |
- Antioxidants
- Coenzymes
- Reactive Oxygen Species
- Ubiquinone
- ubiquinol-10
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- coenzyme Q10
|
Topics |
- Adult
- Antioxidants
(pharmacology)
- Coenzymes
- Humans
- Hydrogen Peroxide
(analysis, metabolism)
- Infertility, Male
(drug therapy, metabolism)
- Lipid Peroxidation
(drug effects)
- Male
- Oxidation-Reduction
- Oxidative Stress
- Reactive Oxygen Species
(metabolism)
- Semen
(drug effects, metabolism)
- Spermatozoa
(pathology)
- Ubiquinone
(analogs & derivatives, analysis, pharmacology)
|