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Review

Oxidative Stress: A Common Factor in Testicular Dysfunction

TERRY T. TURNER^*,

From the Departments of ^* Urology and Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Correspondence to: Dr Terry T. Turner, Department of Urology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, PO Box 800422, Charlottesville, VA 22908 (e-mail: ttt{at}virginia.edu).

Abstract

Oxidative stress results from the production of oxygen radicals in excess of the antioxidant capacity of the stressed tissue. Many conditions or events associated with male infertility are inducers of oxidative stress. X-irradiation, for example, or exposure to environmental toxicants and the physical conditions of varicocele and cryptorchidism have been demonstrated to increase testicular oxidative stress, which leads to an increase in germ cell apoptosis and subsequent hypospermatogenesis. Such stress conditions can cause changes in the dynamics of testicular microvascular blood flow, endocrine signaling, and germ cell apoptosis. Testicular oxidative stress appears to be a common feature in much of what underlies male infertility, which suggests that there may be benefits to developing better antioxidant therapies for relevant cases of hypospermatogenesis.

     Key words: Oxidative stress, testis, male infertility, apoptosis