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. 2022 Nov 25;23(23):14751.
doi: 10.3390/ijms232314751.

In Vitro Combination of Ascorbic and Ellagic Acids in Sperm Oxidative Damage Inhibition

Filomena Mottola  1 , Concetta Iovine  2 , Maria Carannante  1 , Marianna Santonastaso  3 , Lucia Rocco  1
Affiliations

In Vitro Combination of Ascorbic and Ellagic Acids in Sperm Oxidative Damage Inhibition

Filomena Mottola et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

It is known that an altered redox balance interferes with normal spermatic functions. Exposure to genotoxic substances capable of producing oxidative stress (OS) can cause infertility in humans. The use of antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress contributes to the improvement in reproductive function. This study focused on an antigenotoxic evaluation of ellagic acid (EA) and ascorbic acid (AA) in combination against benzene genotoxic action on human spermatozoa in vitro. In addition to the evaluation of sperm parameters, damage in sperm genetic material and intracellular ROS quantification were assessed after AA, EA and benzene co-exposure using the TUNEL technique and DCF assay. The results showed that the combination of the two antioxidants generates a greater time-dependent antigenotoxic action, reducing both the sperm DNA fragmentation index and the oxidative stress. The genoprotective effect of AA and EA association in sperm cells lays the foundations for a more in-depth clinical study on the use of antioxidants as a therapy for male infertility.

Keywords: DNA fragmentation; antigenotoxicity; antioxidants; genotoxicity; human spermatozoa; male infertility; reactive oxygen species; sperm DNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of DNA fragmentation observed in human sperm cells (n-values: 34) after 45, 60 and 90 exposure min to 0.4 μL/mL benzene (BZ), 100 μM ascorbic acid (AA), 100 μM ellagic acid (EA) and their combination. NC stands for negative control. Letters correspond to diverse statistical significances (ANOVA); a: p < 0.05 in comparison with NC; b: p < 0.05 in comparison with BZ exposure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) observed in human sperm cells (n-values: 34) after 45, 60 and 90 exposure min to 0.4 μL/mL benzene (BZ), 100 μM ascorbic acid (AA), 100 μM ellagic acid (EA), and their combination. NC stands for negative control. Letters correspond to diverse statistical significances (ANOVA); a: p < 0.05 in comparison with NC; b: p < 0.05 in comparison with BZ exposure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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