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Methylxanthines pp 349–372Cite as

Methylxanthines and Reproduction

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 200))

Abstract

Reproduction is the process by which organisms create descendants. In human reproduction, two kinds of sex cells, or gametes, are involved. Sperm, the male gamete, and egg , or ovum , the female gamete, must meet in the female reproductive system to create a new individual and both the female and the male reproductive systems are essential to the occurrence of reproduction. Scientific reports dealing with the effects of methylxanthines on reproduction are mostly centred on the use of these compounds as phosphodiesterase inhibitors that, by maintaining high intracellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) , will affect the gametes differently. High cAMP levels will sustain sperm maturation while they hold the oocytes in mitotic arrest. Caffeine , being the methylxanthine most widely consumed by every segment of the population, has been the subject of greatest interest among health professionals and researchers. Conflicting results still seem to characterize the association between male/female caffeine consumption in adult life and semen quality/fertility , although moderate daily caffeine consumption of levels up to 400–450 mg/day (5.7–6.4 mg/kg/day in a 70-kg adult) do not seem to be associated with adverse effects, i.e. general toxicity, effects on bone status and calcium balance, cardiovascular effects, behavioural changes, increased incidence of cancer, or effects on male fertility. A clear stimulation of egg-laying by the coffee leaf pest Leucoptera coffeella was recently reported, providing support for the hypothesis that caffeine, in a dose-dependent way, in insects stimulates egg-laying, thus leading to the death of coffee trees.

Keywords

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Abbreviations

AC:

Adenylyl cyclase

AR:

Acrosome reaction

cAMP:

Cyclic AMP

Cdk1:

Cyclin-dependant kinase

dbcAMP:

Dibutyryl cyclic AMP

FSH:

Follicle-stimulating hormone

GIFT:

Gamete intra-Fallopian transfer

IBMX:

3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine

IVF:

In vitro fertilization

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

LHR:

Luteinizing hormone receptor

MI:

Metaphase I

MPF:

Maturation/meiosis or mitosis promoting factor

NOEL:

No-observed-effect level

PDE:

Phosphodiesterase

PKA:

Protein kinase A

PKB:

Protein kinase B

UPP:

Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway

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  1. Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Scienze Biochimiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via del Giochetto, 06123, Perugia, Italy

    Alba Minelli & Ilaria Bellezza

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  1. Alba Minelli
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  2. Ilaria Bellezza
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Correspondence to Alba Minelli .

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Minelli, A., Bellezza, I. (2011). Methylxanthines and Reproduction. In: Methylxanthines. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 200. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13443-2_13

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