Title:Mitochondrial Functionality and Chemical Compound Action on Sperm Function
Volume: 23
Issue: 31
Author(s): S. Amaral, R. S. Tavares, M. Baptista, M. I. Sousa, A. Silva, S. Escada-Rebelo, C. P. Paiva and J. Ramalho-Santos
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Mitochondria, sperm, male fertility, lifestyle-associated compounds, male contraceptives, sensor.
Abstract: During the last decade, several studies have shown that mitochondrial
parameters, such as integrity, respiratory activity, membrane potential
and ROS production are intimately linked with sperm quality. Given
the limitations of conventional semen analyses in terms of predicting male
fertility, an increasing number of studies are focusing on the characterization
of sperm mitochondria in order to more accurately assess sperm functionality.
Moreover, mitochondria from several organs, such as the liver, have
been described as a powerful screening tool for drug safety, being an easy in
vitro model to assess the toxicity of distinct families of compounds. Given
that mitochondrial functionality is intimately related to sperm homeostasis, it
has become important to understand how compounds, ranging from dietary supplements,
environmental pollutants, dependency-inducing drugs to pharmacological agents (such as
erectile dysfunction-targeted drugs and male contraceptives) affect sperm mitochondrial
function. In this review, we discuss studies describing the effects of various chemical agents
on spermatozoa, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial function. From the extensive
literature analyzed, we conclude that in some cases the role of sperm mitochondria as putative
predictors of sperm functionality is very obvious, while in others further studies are
needed to clarify this issue.
