Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress in Spermatozoa

Dear Colleagues,

Infertility is a highly prevalent disease, and oxidative stress contributes importantly to the aetiology of male infertility. Oxidative stress impairs sperm function, and a high percent of infertile men display elevated levels of seminal reactive oxygen species (ROS). Spermatozoa are highly vulnerable to oxidative stress, and detrimental damage associated to high levels of ROS can affect several biomolecules, including lipids, proteins and DNA. Oxidative damage affects all aspects of sperm function, and DNA oxidation and fragmentation caused by ROS have a potential impact on embryo development and the health and wellbeing of the offspring.

Like ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS) when produced at high levels during so-called nitrosative stress, are also associated to male infertility. The exposure of spermatozoa to high levels of RNS leads to impaired sperm function, as evidenced by the loss of quality and the decrease of crucial sperm functions including motility and ATP production. The nitrosative damage can finally commit spermatozoa to cell death.

Thus, it is clear that an underlying aetiology of male infertility is mediated by an impairment of sperm function as a consequence of cellular stress mediated by ROS and RNS. In light of these considerations, antioxidants should have some role to play in the preservation of reproductive function in men.

In this Special Issue entitled “Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress in Spermatozoa” we invite investigators to submit original research, short communication, and review articles in order to discuss the pivotal role of oxidative and nitrosative stress in different aspects of sperm function. Contributions describing the usefulness of antioxidants as strategies to improve sperm quality under oxidative/nitrosative stress conditions are particularly welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Raúl Sánchez
Dr. Pamela Uribe
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• oxidative stress
• nitrosative stress
• reactive oxygen species
• reactive nitrogen species
• spermatozoa
• sperm motility
• sperm function
• antioxidants