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Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Apoptosis in Male Infertility

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Studies on Men's Health and Fertility

Abstract

Oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis are associated with male infertility as a cause and as a manifestation. Several clinical conditions and laboratory findings may be indicative of the presence of oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis. The use of standardized assays for the diagnosis of oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis should be limited to cases where these conditions are suspected. The identifications of the causative factor for infertility will lead to a specific and subsequently more successful treatment option. In this chapter, we provide a description of the clinical conditions associated with oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis that lead to male infertility. The different signs and results of laboratory investigations will be provided to highlight manifestations of these conditions. We also describe the impact of oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis on male fertility and the different approaches that could be used for diagnosis and prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrology Laboratory and Reproductive Tissue Bank, The Toronto Institute for Reproductive Medicine, 56 Aberfoyle Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada, M8X2W4

    Tamer M. Said MD, PhD, HCLD (ABB)

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Saarland, Homburg, Saarland, Germany

    Constanze Fischer-Hammadeh MD & Mohamad Eid Hammadeh DVM, BSC, PhD

  3. Department of Pharmacology and Bioscience, Petra University, Amman, Jordan

    Mohammed Hamad PhD

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Al Azhar University, Assuit, Egypt

    Khaled Refaat MD

Authors
  1. Tamer M. Said MD, PhD, HCLD (ABB)
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  2. Constanze Fischer-Hammadeh MD
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  3. Mohammed Hamad PhD
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  4. Khaled Refaat MD
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  5. Mohamad Eid Hammadeh DVM, BSC, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tamer M. Said MD, PhD, HCLD (ABB) .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Avenue 9500, Cleveland, 44195, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

  2. Faculty of Science and IT, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, University Drive 1, Callaghan, 2308, New South Wales, Australia

    R. John Aitken

  3. , Department of Male Infertility, Centro Androgen, C/FERNANDO MACIAS 8, 1ºC, La Coruña, 15004, La Coruña, Spain

    Juan G. Alvarez

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Said, T.M., Fischer-Hammadeh, C., Hamad, M., Refaat, K., Hammadeh, M.E. (2012). Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Apoptosis in Male Infertility. In: Agarwal, A., Aitken, R., Alvarez, J. (eds) Studies on Men's Health and Fertility. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-776-7_20

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