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Review
. 2023 Apr 13:10:448-462.
doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.04.006. eCollection 2023.

Apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in infertility: A mini review

Oluwafemi Adeleke Ojo  1 , Pearl Ifunanya Nwafor-Ezeh  1 , Damilare Emmanuel Rotimi  2 , Matthew Iyobhebhe  2 , Akingbolabo Daniel Ogunlakin  1 , Adebola Busola Ojo  3
Affiliations
Review

Apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in infertility: A mini review

Oluwafemi Adeleke Ojo et al. Toxicol Rep. .

Abstract

Infertility has been a major issue in our society for many years, and millions of couples all over the world are still experiencing it. There are several reasons for and causes of infertility in both men and women. Recent studies have shown that apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress contribute immensely to infertility. The data regarding this report were obtained through a thorough review of scientific articles published in various databases, including Elsevier, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Furthermore, PhD and MSc theses were also reviewed when compiling the data. Apoptosis, also known as "programmed cell death," is a natural and harmless process that occurs in human beings. Although it can become harmful if altered, Inflammation, on the other hand, is the body's reaction to detrimental stimuli caused by toxic substances or compounds, while oxidative stress is a phenomenon that results in an imbalance between the generation and aggregation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells against antioxidants. These three factors interchangeably bring about several reproductive disorders in the body, resulting in infertility. This review aims at discussing how apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress play a role in human infertility.

Availability of data and material: The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Infertility; Inflammation; Oxidative stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Showing the process of apoptosis in between the developing fingers in a foetus.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Illustration of the extrinsic and intrinsic Pathways of apoptosis as modified from .
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The altered apoptotic pathway in the female ovarian cycle as a result of oxidative stress.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Factors that trigger an increase in male germ cell apoptosis.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Showing the difference between inflamed veins and normal veins in the testes as modified from .
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Illustrating the role of Leukocytospermia in male infertility as modified from .
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Illustrating the infection and inflammation of the urethra as modified from .
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Showing the effects of inflammation in the female reproductive tract and physiology as modified from .
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Showing the relationship between oxidative stress and infertility as modified from .
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
The effects of oxidative stress on the sperm cell.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
The relationship between oxidative stress and PCOS as modified from .
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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