Oxidative Stress and Toxicity in Reproductive Biology and Medicine: A Comprehensive Update on Male Infertility Volume II

347 Pages·2022·17.714 MB·English

by  Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Kavindra Kumar Kesari

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 1391
Shubhadeep Roychoudhury
Kavindra Kumar Kesari   Editors
Oxidative Stress
and Toxicity in
Reproductive Biology
and Medicine
A Comprehensive Update on Male Infertility
Volume II
Advances in Experimental Medicine
and Biology
Volume 1391
Series Editors
Wim E. Crusio, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives
d’Aquitaine, CNRS and University of Bordeaux
Pessac Cedex, France
Haidong Dong, Departments of Urology and Immunology
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Heinfried H. Radeke, Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Clinic of the Goethe University Frankfurt Main
Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
Nima Rezaei, Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's
Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ortrud Steinlein, Institute of Human Genetics
LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
Junjie Xiao, Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of
Cardiovascular Sciences
School of Life Science, Shanghai University
Shanghai, China
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Shubhadeep Roychoudhury
Kavindra Kumar Kesari
Editors
Oxidative Stress and
Toxicity in Reproductive
Biology and Medicine
A Comprehensive Update on Male
Infertility Volume Two
Editors
Shubhadeep Roychoudhury Kavindra Kumar Kesari
Department of Life Science and Department of Bioproducts and
Bioinformatics Biosystems, School of Chemical
Assam University Engineering
Silchar, India Aalto University
ESPOO, Finland
ISSN 0065-2598 ISSN 2214-8019 (electronic)
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
ISBN 978-3-031-12965-0 ISBN 978-3-031-12966-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12966-7
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Foreword
Inquiry into human reproductive health and fecundity is an endeavor span-
ning centuries, even millennia. In fact, the first documented couples’ fertility
test of sorts, put forward by female physician Trotta of Salerno (circa elev-
enth century), predated the first observation of human spermatozoa by van
Leeuwenhoek and Hamm by almost 600 years. First recorded human artifi-
cial insemination was performed in late eighteenth-century England, and the
modern andrology came about at the turn of twentieth century, which eventu-
ally brought us gamete and embryo cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization
(IVF), embryo transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and somatic
cell nuclear transfer. We are now at the threshold of new era of precision
medicine and andrology, incorporating molecular, biomarker-based
approaches into clinical andrology and assisted reproductive therapy (ART).
Notwithstanding environmental, occupational, genetic, and lifestyle fac-
tors, age is rapidly becoming the number one contributor to male and female
infertility as the couples of reproductive ages increasingly chose to delay
parenthood in favor of career and lifestyle. The resultant steady increase in
ART cycles realized per year around the world coincides with increased
research on reproductive impacts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their
mitigation by antioxidants. As drug store shelves become increasingly flooded
with all imaginable sorts of antioxidant and vitamin supplements, it is crucial
to better understand the role of redox potential in both the physiology and
pathology of male and female reproductive function. While antioxidants may
boost sperm production, viability, and fertility, their indiscriminate use could
have the exact opposite effect, upsetting the fine balance between ROS-
dependent signaling and ROS scavenging in gametes and reproductive tis-
sues. It is imperative that such treatments do not compromise the sperm cells,
particularly in clinical setting where almost all ART cycles nowadays are
performed by ICSI and the need to subjectively select single spermatozoon to
fertilize the precious human eggs makes it of paramount importance to purify
only the fittest spermatozoon from highly heterogeneous human sperm
cohorts. In the light of these challenges, the present volume is saddled with
an uneasy task of making sense of recent advances in sperm redox research.
Volume II of the book Oxidative Stress and Toxicity in Reproductive
Biology and Medicine: A Comprehensive Update on Male Infertility edited
by Dr. Shubhadeep Roychoudhury and Dr. Kavindra Kumar Kesari considers
various influences leading to oxidative stress (OS) in gametes and gonads,
including environmental and occupational stressors such as pesticides, heavy
v
vi Foreword
metals, plastics, nanoparticles, and radiation exposure. Importantly, remedies
are discussed, such as pharmacological antioxidants and natural herbal rem-
edies. In my opinion, phytomedicine in particular is an important yet under-
appreciated area of inquiry as it may provide low-cost natural remedies
particularly important for developing nations where the high cost and limited
access to pharmacological antioxidant supplements may be a barrier to wide-
spread use. This will require meticulous isolation and validation of active
compounds present in complex, highly heterogeneous medicinal plant
extracts. While the present volume maintains focus on male reproductive
function, impacts of OS are also considered in the mind frame of female
reproductive system and embryo development. This worthwhile undertaking
brings us a thought-provoking collection of in-depth reviews. Without a
doubt, a diverse audience of clinicians, scholars, and graduate students will
be the beneficiaries.
Peter Sutovsky
Professor of Animal Science and Obstetrics,
Gynecology & Women’s Health, Editor-in-Chief,
Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology
(Springer Nature), Section Editor for Reproductive
Biology, Cell & Tissue Research (Springer Nature),
Associate Editor, Systems Biology in Reproductive
Medicine (Taylor & Francis)
University of Missouri,
Columbia, MO, USA
Preface
The connection between oxidative stress (OS) and human health to a large
extent defines the factors impacting the reproductive potential in the male.
Humans are exposed to number of environmental stressors that induce
OS. The networking of various such manmade and natural agents, including
the environmental toxicants, mutagens, and infectants, may interfere with the
normal functioning of the male and female reproductive tracts, thereby affect-
ing reproductive and sexual health. The factors such as radiations, metal tox-
icity, lifestyle factors, pesticides, nanotoxicity, infections, and chemical
toxicity may lead to sperm damage (DNA damage or low count), deformity,
and, eventually, male infertility. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), nearly 190 million people struggle with infertility worldwide. This
figure could even rise because of the number of couples who are not obtaining
proper medical consultation and/or assistance. Therefore, this book contrib-
utes towards providing an understanding of the networking of mutagenic fac-
tors and their toxic effects on fertility pattern. In this connection, total 19
chapters of this book not only navigate through the impact of OS and toxicity
on male reproduction but also suggest protective measures by using several
bioactive and natural antioxidants to strengthen the fertility factors. The 19
chapters as Volume II add value to our previous collection of 15 chapters
published as Volume I, and discuss an up-to-date view on the impact of OS
factors in male reproduction with multidisciplinary approaches with a focus
on environmental toxicity.
Chapter 1 highlights the influence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which
is a key player in male infertility along with the diagnosis, available clinical
options, and preventive measures against extensive ROS buildup within the
spermatozoa. Also, study concludes OS as a major causative agent of male
infertility. Chapter 2 discusses the role of environmental toxicants–induced
OS and their effects on male fertility factors. The chapter mainly emphasizes
on the identification of potential environmental toxicants which may have
clinical relevance for early screening and diagnosis of male infertility. It fur-
ther highlights the role of pesticides, metal toxicity, and possible mechanism
of interaction with human reproduction. Chapter 3 mainly discusses the envi-
ronmental stressors and their effects on the mechanisms causing congenital
impairments due to poor sexual health and transmitting altered signal trans-
duction pathways in male gonadal tissues. It also focuses on the pathway(s)
of impact of factors such as heavy metals, air pollution, chemical contamina-
tions, drugs, tobacco smoke, and xenobiotics on male reproduction. Chap. 4
vii
viii Preface
discusses the route(s) of their exposure to men and women through various
pesticides resulting in different infertility concerns like sperm abnormalities,
abnormal sperm count and motility, testicular atrophy, ovarian dysfunction,
decreased fertility, and spontaneous abortions. The study also navigates the
future possibilities in perceiving the mechanism(s) of reproductive toxicity of
different pesticides and their management before any alarm of danger. In con-
nection to environmental toxicants, radiation has been recognized as a major
cause of concern for male reproduction. In Chap. 5, the role of radiations in
the male fertility has been elucidated. The study focuses the basics of radia-
tion and introduces both ionizing and non-ionizing radiations highlighting
their effects on human reproduction. The chapter also intends to describe a
detailed literature on the impact of radiation-induced OS on male reproduc-
tion and to furthers the understanding of its consequences leading to the phe-
nomenon of male infertility. In this continuation, Chap. 6 elucidates the role
of arsenic-induced OS and its association with sex hormone disruption as
well as its effect on sperm and semen quality. This is an important chapter
that explains the grassroot networking of arsenic through various sources,
that is, food chain, ecosystem, agriculture, and ground water contamination,
and its effects on human health, especially male reproduction. Chapter 7 dis-
cusses the role of various metallic nanomaterials in reproductive health. The
study highlights the mechanism(s) of bioaccumulation of metallic nanomate-
rials which may lead to the generation of ROS in reproductive organs and
cause hazardous effects, such as reduced sperm count, sperm motility, hor-
monal regulation, and morphological and ultrastructural changes. In connec-
tion to this, Chap. 8 mainly focuses to identify and elucidate the effect of
bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on male fertility. The study also illustrates the
mechanisms through which this may occur, while emphasizing the role of OS
as a potential pathway. BPA has been recognized as one of the leading chemi-
cal contaminants affecting human health through various sources such as
food, water, air, ink, medical materials and devices, and occupational expo-
sures. It may enter our body through inhalation, ingestion, and transdermal
routes and damage the redox homeostasis by altering the standard equilib-
rium of oxidative mediators. The chapter mainly discusses the adverse effects
of BPA on male fertility with an appropriated citation of both in vivo and
in vitro studies. After detailed discussions on the mutagenic factors and male
reproduction, Chap. 9 sheds light on the potential impact of herbal drugs to
combat OS and thus improve the male fertility parameters. The study high-
lights the role of OS in the pathophysiology of male infertility, that is, hor-
monal defects, sexual problems, lifestyle, and genetic factors. The chapter
primarily contributes to explore the protective measures against OS through
various natural sources such as herbal drugs for the management of male
infertility. This is an important chapter navigating possible preventive cares
towards early diagnosis of infertility. In this regard, Chap. 10 elaborates vari-
ous classes of medicinal compounds and their mechanism of killing prostate
cancer cells through direct or indirect ROS generation. This chapter identifies
and well elaborates the important phytochemicals that inhibit ROS and spe-
cifically lead to the death of prostate cancer cells. The study provides clear
evidence to generate a novel thought to develop promising drug candidates to
Preface ix
treat prostate cancer patients. Chap. 11 discusses different heat shock factors
(HSFs) and their functions including those during spermatogenesis. The
chapter highlights different heat shock proteins induced by the HSFs and
their activities in these contexts. The novelty of this chapter lies in the identi-
fication of several small molecule activators and inhibitors of HSFs from dif-
ferent sources reported so far. Thus, it may contribute to achieve the goal of
current and future research and to understand the molecular basis of this dis-
tinction, and design therapy to modulate the process as appropriate for the
benefit of mankind. Although the Chaps. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11
mostly discuss the role of OS in male reproduction, Chapter 12 elucidates the
role of ROS in female reproduction. Being viewed as a couple’s problem,
male infertility literally remains inseparable from the female factors. Hence,
the chapter raises several important issues associated with female reproduc-
tion such as reduced growth and development of oocytes, ovarian steroido-
genesis, ovulation, blastocyst formation, implantation, endothelial
dysfunction in the uterus, and fertilization of eggs. It further explores several
ROS-induced risk factors to female reproduction such as endometriosis, pre-
eclampsia, maternal diabetes, ovarian epithelial cancer, recurrent pregnancy
loss, intrauterine growth restriction, and fetal death. The chapter also demon-
strates great impact to understand the possible mechanisms of infertility in
the female beyond the male factors. Although male infertility contributes to
over 50% of cases worldwide as compared to female infertility, the impor-
tance of this chapter in the middle of book navigates towards the therapeutic
and protective measures/possibilities. In connection to this, Chap. 13 also
assesses the impact of OS on embryogenesis and fetal development. The
chapter retracts the evidence available in literature to facilitate an in-depth
understanding of the redox regulation during development that may help opti-
mize the pregnancy outcome both under natural and assisted conditions. The
focus of the chapter lies on the role of ROS and antioxidants in early develop-
ment including the processes of gametogenesis, organogenesis, fertilization,
and early embryogenesis. In comparison with Chap. 12, this chapter furthers
the understanding of the events in ROS formation and the maintenance of the
redox homeostasis in embryonic and fetal developments at molecular level.
Meanwhile, Chap. 14 discusses the various methods of analyzing the
mammalian embryo culture based on oxidant and antioxidant parameters.
The study mainly highlights the role of external factors on embryo culture
and the ability of antioxidants to enhance in vitro fertilization (IVF) out-
comes. This is an important contribution towards therapeutic measures and
treatment perspectives, because the “safe” administration of an antioxidant
into culture media during the in vitro process is challenging. Indeed, an opti-
mization of media culture by the addition of enzymatic and non-enzymatic
antioxidants in animal models and human embryos in ART has been updated
in this study, with an emphasis on comparing the available results and their
possible reasons. In connection to this, Chap. 15 elucidates the role of OS in
male reproduction and potential use of antioxidants for infertility treatment.
The chapter discusses the role of ROS as mediators in male reproductive
outcomes, where they are mostly involved to cause changes in Leydig cells,
Sertoli cells, and spermatozoa, and it also highlights the defense mechanism