title: Free radical theory of aging: implications in male infertility.
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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Nisarg
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabanegh
authors.forename: Taesoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D019098:Telomerase