title: Antioxidants to enhance fertility: role of eNOS and potential benefits.
abstract: The use of antioxidants is now often used as a pharmacological adjunct to limit infertility. Indeed, the lay public rightly perceives oxidative stress and, thus, antioxidant treatment as important modulators of infertility. While the direct effects of antioxidant treatment on the quality of semen and oocytes are still under investigation, a significant body of evidence points to loss of vascular tone as a root-cause of erectile dysfunction and, possibly, alterations to female reproduction. In this article, we will critically review the often neglected link between vascular dysfunction and infertility. A particular emphasis will be on the potential use of antioxidants to increase fertility and promote conception.
authors: Laboratory of Functional Foods, IMDEA-Food, Madrid, Spain. francesco.visioli@imdea.org
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Visioli
authors: Tory M
authors: TM
authors: Hagen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D005306:Fertilization / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III