Cited by 1.1k
University of Cambridge
Publishes on Sperm and Testicular Function, Cephalopods and Marine Biology, Reproductive Biology and Fertility. 57 papers and 3.4k citations.
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Abstract Ram spermatozoa produce aerobically an organic peroxide which can be determined quantitatively by the thiobarbituric acid reaction. The reaction is more intense in spermatozoa that have been stored at 5°C. Cold shock and homogenization release from spermatozoa a substance, presumably a lipid, which provides the substrate for peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is probably linked with the decline in motility and respiratory activity, and the structural damage to sperm membranes, which characterize ageing or degenerating spermatozoa.
Abstract Peroxidation of the sperm cells’ own phospholipids, closely bound up with declining motility, has been demonstrated in human spermatozoa; the rate of peroxidation was determined quantitatively by the reaction with thiobarbituric acid. Immotile or poorly motile spermatozoa from necrospermic or oligospermic semen exhibited a higher rate of peroxidation than highly motile spermatozoa from normal ejaculates. Peroxidized unsaturated fatty acids added to washed sperm suspensions immobilized the spermatozoa rapidly and permanently. Human seminal plasma was found to contain a non-ultrafiltrable factor which effectively prevented, but did not reverse, the toxic effect upon spermatozoa of either endogenous or exogenous lipid peroxides.