| Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?It is a | | | | peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide |
| well-known fact that sperm counts have | | | | dismutase.Some amount of all the antioxidant |
| dropped by half in the last 50 years, and | | | | enzymes, which may protect spermatozoa from |
| that modern men have 20 percent less semen | | | | oxidative attack, are also made by the |
| volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume | | | | epididymis during storage.The glutathione |
| 305).A recent report from researchers in | | | | peroxidase/reductase enzymes play a central |
| Aberdeen presented preliminary data that | | | | role in the defense against oxidative damage |
| suggests the sperm concentration of the men | | | | in human sperm.Why is Glutathione important |
| seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over | | | | for Sperm Quality and Fertility?A decrease in |
| the past 14 years. (British Fertility | | | | levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) during |
| Society; 5 January 2004)Persistent organic | | | | sperm production is known to disrupt the |
| pollutants (POPs) and endocrine-disrupting | | | | membrane integrity of spermatozoa due to |
| chemicals from normal, everyday plastics are | | | | increased oxidative stress.Intracellular |
| known to cause reproductive damage, as | | | | glutathione levels of spermatozoa are known |
| documented in Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen | | | | to be decreased in certain populations of |
| Future."Damage to sperm caused by exposure to | | | | infertile men. Compared with a control group, |
| common chemicals like alcohol, pesticides in | | | | the infertile men in all groups had |
| food, has been linked to lowered intelligence | | | | significantly higher levels of ROS and lower |
| and behavioral disorders in | | | | levels of total antioxidants.There is strong |
| children.Lifestyle risk factors known to | | | | clinical evidence to show that men diagnosed |
| decrease sperm quality include> Cigarette | | | | with infertility have high levels of |
| smoking> Alcohol consumption> Chronic stress> | | | | oxidative stress that may impair the quality |
| Nutritional deficiencies.Other reasons for | | | | of their sperm.In some groups, higher levels |
| infertility include congenital factors, and | | | | of ROS were associated with lower sperm |
| health conditions like prostatitis and | | | | counts and defective sperm structure, while |
| diabetes that can affect sperm | | | | lower antioxidant levels correlated with |
| production.Pollution is stealing our future, | | | | reduced sperm movement.Previous evidence has |
| and there's little anyone can do to avoid it. | | | | also shown that oxidative stress can decrease |
| There may not be a lot you can do to reduce | | | | a sperm's life span, its motility, and its |
| your exposure to persistent environmental | | | | ability to penetrate the oocyst, or egg |
| toxins.But there are definite measures you | | | | cell.Up to 40% of men with unexplained male |
| can take to reduce the impact of the | | | | infertility have higher levels of free |
| environmental pollutants and toxins on your | | | | radical activity in their bodies.Because men |
| body.You can prevent and, to a certain | | | | with high levels of ROS have a seven-fold |
| extent, repair the damage they cause to your | | | | lower likelihood of inducing a pregnancy than |
| body, through a better lifestyle and | | | | men with lower levels, researchers recommend |
| nutrition.Some nutritional therapies and | | | | that treatment for infertile men should |
| antioxidants that have proven beneficial in | | | | include strategies to reduce oxidative stress |
| treating male infertility and improving sperm | | | | and improve sperm quality.How can Glutathione |
| counts, sperm morphology and motility | | | | help in the Treatment of |
| include:> Carnitine> Arginine> Zinc> | | | | Infertility?Glutathione is not only vital to |
| Selenium> Vitamin B-12> Vitamin C> Vitamin E> | | | | sperm antioxidant defenses, but selenium and |
| Glutathione> Coenzyme Q10Studies show that | | | | glutathione are essential to the formation of |
| anti-oxidant supplementation - glutathione in | | | | "phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione |
| particular - can improve sperm quality, and | | | | peroxidase" - an enzyme present in spermatids |
| possibly increase your chances of | | | | - which becomes a structural protein in the |
| conceiving.If you smoke, drink, are exposed | | | | mid-piece of mature spermatozoa.When either |
| to stress, chemicals, radiation, pesticides | | | | substance is deficient, it can lead to |
| or take medication or drugs (like | | | | instability of the mid-piece of the |
| sulfasalazine, ketoconazole, azulfidine, | | | | spermatozoa, resulting in defective |
| anabolic steroids, marijuana) that affect | | | | motility.Free radical scavengers - such as |
| fertility, you should consider taking an | | | | glutathione - that restore the structure and |
| antioxidant supplement to reverse some of the | | | | function of poly-unsaturated fatty acids |
| damage.Why are Antioxidants Important for | | | | (PUFA) in the cell membrane, can be used to |
| Sperm Quality?Mammalian spermatozoa are | | | | treat these cases.In a double-blind |
| coated by a membrane rich in polyunsaturated | | | | cross-over study of twenty infertile men, |
| fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely | | | | treatment with glutathione led to a |
| susceptible to oxidative damage by free | | | | statistically significant improvement of the |
| radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by | | | | sperm quality.The study concerned men in whom |
| a process called lipid peroxidation | | | | the sperm quality was poor due to unilateral |
| (LPO).Lipid peroxidation damages the sperm | | | | varicocele or germ-free genital tract |
| cell membrane. It is considered to be the key | | | | inflammation - two conditions in which ROS or |
| mechanism of ROS-induced sperm damage and | | | | other toxic compounds are indicated as |
| leads to> Loss of sperm motility> Abnormal | | | | causative factors.Treatment with glutathione |
| sperm morphology> Reduced capacity for oocyte | | | | was also found to have a statistically |
| penetration> InfertilityTo protect sperm from | | | | significantly positive effect on sperm |
| damage, the body depends on powerful | | | | motility (in particular forward motility) and |
| antioxidant enzymes in the body such as | | | | on sperm morphology.The findings of these |
| superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and | | | | studies indicate that glutathione therapy |
| glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX | | | | could represent a possible therapeutical tool |
| GRD).Seminal plasma and spermatozoa have | | | | in cases where ROS or exposure to toxins is |
| several antioxidant enzymes - glutathione | | | | the probable cause of infertility. |