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Overview and Sources of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in the Reproductive System

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Oxidative Stress in Human Reproduction

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules that are generated from oxygen metabolism. They can be free radicals or non-radicals. Free radicals are molecules that contain at least one unpaired valence electron at their outer shell, making them highly reactive and short lived [1]. Among all the ROS, superoxide anion (•O2 −), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are the most known examples. Reactive nitrogen species (RNS), is the subclass of ROS that contain nitrogen compound [2]. Both ROS and RNS, when present in physiological amount, have important roles in normal cellular functions such as fighting against infection, regulating different intercellular signaling pathways and facilitating normal maturation and fertilization in reproductive systems [1, 3–7]. However, when ROS present in high concentration, overwhelming the antioxidant defense system, oxidative stress results, and this may lead to cellular dysfunction via lipid peroxidation, protein and DNA damages [8]. Due to such damaging effect on the cells, OS is related to many pathological conditions including infertility [3, 9].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, KSA, Saudi Arabia

    Gulfam Ahmad

  2. Department of Physiology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

    Gulfam Ahmad

  3. Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mazen Almasry

  4. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Amolak S. Dhillon

  5. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain, Al Sayh, Bahrain

    Muna M. Abuayyash

  6. American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Narasimhan Kothandaraman

  7. Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Zeynep Cakar

Authors
  1. Gulfam Ahmad
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  2. Mazen Almasry
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  3. Amolak S. Dhillon
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  4. Muna M. Abuayyash
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  5. Narasimhan Kothandaraman
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  6. Zeynep Cakar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gulfam Ahmad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

  2. American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Rakesh Sharma

  3. American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Sajal Gupta

  4. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, F-IVF, Soroka University Medical Center Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sansana, Israel

    Avi Harlev

  5. College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, KSA, Saudi Arabia

    Gulfam Ahmad

  6. Division of Medical Physiology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa

    Stefan S. du Plessis

  7. Androfert Referral Center for Male Reproduction, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Sandro C. Esteves

  8. American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Siew May Wang

  9. Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia

    Damayanthi Durairajanayagam

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Ahmad, G., Almasry, M., Dhillon, A.S., Abuayyash, M.M., Kothandaraman, N., Cakar, Z. (2017). Overview and Sources of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in the Reproductive System. In: Agarwal, A., et al. Oxidative Stress in Human Reproduction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48427-3_1

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