title: Effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on sperm function, oxidative stress and membrane integrity in human.
abstract: Oxidative stress has negative impacts on the clinical outcomes of assisted reproduction techniques. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes the viability of nerve cells and is known to decrease oxidative stress and apoptosis in different cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of BDNF treatment on human sperm functions that are known to be essential for fertilisation. Our findings showed that treatment of human spermatozoa with 0.133 nM BDNF significantly increased the percentages of both total (P = 0.001) and progressive (P < 0.01) motile sperm cells compared to those observed in the nontreated (control) group. We also showed that the mean fluorescence intensity of DCFH-DA, as an indicator of intracellular reactive oxygen species, was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in spermatozoa treated with BDNF compared to the control group. Treatment of spermatozoa with BDNF significantly decreased the percentages of both dead (P = 0.001) and apoptotic-like sperm cells (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. On the other hand, BDNF treatment significantly increased the percentage of viable sperm cells compared to the control (P = 0.001). In conclusion, BDNF has protective effects against oxidative stress in spermatozoa and could improve sperm functions that are essential for sperm-egg fusion and subsequent fertilisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sedighi Gilani
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.|Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moawad
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Asadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khanlarkhni
authors.affiliation: Infertility Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fallah
authors.affiliation: Infertility Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rezaiian
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sobhani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: 
  BDNF
  ; 
  ROS
  ; Apoptotic-like changes; sperm preparation