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Antithetical Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species in Mammalian Reproduction

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Systems Biology of Free Radicals and Antioxidants

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Abstract

Reproduction involves complex processes that maintains survival by introducing genetic diversity into the population and also provides the potential for evolution. Various environmental conditions, such as hormone imbalance and inflammation, influence reproductive ability during gonogenesis, fertilization, and embryogenesis in mammals. Oxidative stress caused by elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) affects these processes and is one of the predominant causes of both male and female infertility. It is particularly important to minimize oxidative stress when in vitro fertilization (IVF) is performed for the purpose of assisted reproduction. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has advanced dramatically, and hence the success rate has increased. Accordingly, the problems associated with ART are becoming evident, and the time to clarify its mechanisms and cope with them is now upon us. In addition to oxidative damage, the beneficial roles of ROS, such as intracellular signaling, have become evident. The antithetical functions of ROS make it more difficult to resolve and overcome the problems caused by oxidative stress. While many processes are common to both somatic cells and gametes, and the established mechanism in lower vertebrates is mostly applicable to mammals, there are also processes that are unique to mammalian reproduction. Despite the difficulty in understanding mammalian reproduction, the mechanisms and problems can be gradually unveiled by advanced technology such as genetic modification of animals and high-throughput analyses of biological molecules.

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Abbreviations

ART:

Assisted reproductive technology

COX2:

Cyclooxygenase 2

Cys-SH:

Cysteine sulfhydryl

Cys-SOH:

Cysteine sulfenic acid

GPX:

Glutathione peroxidase

GSH:

Reduced form of glutathione

hCG:

Human chorionic gonadotropin

IL:

Interleukin

IVF:

In vitro fertilization

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

MPF:

M-phase-promoting factor

NO:

Nitric oxide

NOS:

Nitric oxide synthase

PDI:

Protein disulfide isomerase

Prx:

Peroxiredoxin

PTP:

Phosphotyrosine phosphatases

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TKR:

Tyrosine kinase-type receptors

TNF:

Tumor necrosis factor

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by a Health Research on Children, Youth, and Families grant from Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants (2009–2011: J.F.) and by the YU-COE program (E) from Yamagata University (2010–2011: J.F. and N.K.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iidanishi, 990-9585, Yamagata, Japan

    Junichi Fujii & Satoshi Tsunoda

  2. Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, Japan

    Naoko Kimura

Authors
  1. Junichi Fujii
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  2. Satoshi Tsunoda
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  3. Naoko Kimura
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Correspondence to Junichi Fujii .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Ismail Laher

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Fujii, J., Tsunoda, S., Kimura, N. (2014). Antithetical Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species in Mammalian Reproduction. In: Laher, I. (eds) Systems Biology of Free Radicals and Antioxidants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30018-9_108

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