title: The pentose phosphate pathway plays an essential role in supporting human sperm capacitation.
abstract: In swim-up-selected spermatozoa of 38 normozoospermic patients, capacitated spermatozoa exhibited enhanced pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activity and increased expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). The G6PD inhibitor DHEA and the inhibitors of NADPH oxidase apocynin and diphenylene iodonium (DPI) prevented both superoxide generation and capacitation in human spermatozoa, but whereas DPI and DHEA inhibited PPP, apocynin did not influence it, suggesting that PPP activation during capacitation is not a response to increased oxidative stress but exerts a role by supplying reducing equivalents to oxygen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Biology, and Biochemistry, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miraglia
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lussiana
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Viarisio
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Racca
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cipriani
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gazzano
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosia
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revelli
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ghigo
mesh_terms: D000098:Acetophenones / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D009861:Onium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D010427:Pentose Phosphate Pathway / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000098:Acetophenones; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009861:Onium Compounds; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate; C007517:diphenyleneiodonium; C056165:acetovanillone; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D019255:NADPH Oxidases