Role of Antioxidant Natural Products in Management of Infertility: A Review of Their Medicinal Potential - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Role of Antioxidant Natural Products in Management of Infertility: A Review of Their Medicinal Potential

Seungjin Noh et al. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020.

Abstract

Infertility, a couple's inability to conceive after one year of unprotected regular intercourse, is an important issue in the world. The use of natural products in the treatment of infertility has been considered as a possible alternative to conventional therapies. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and the mechanisms of various natural products on infertility. We collected articles regarding infertility and natural products using the research databases PubMed and Google Scholar. Several natural products possess antioxidant properties and androgenic activities on productive factors and hormones. Antioxidants are the first defense barrier against free radicals produced by oxidative stress (OS). They remove reactive oxygen stress (ROS), reducing insulin resistance, total cholesterol, fat accumulation, and cancer growth. Moreover, various natural products increase endometrial receptivity and fertility ability showing androgenic activities on productive factors and hormones. For example, Angelica keiskei powder and Astragalus mongholicus extract showed anti-infertility efficacies in males and females, respectively. On the other hand, adverse effects and acute toxicity of natural products were also reported. Tripterygium glycoside decreased fertility ability both in males and females. Results indicate that management of infertility with natural products could be beneficial with further clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effect.

Keywords: anti-inflammation; antioxidants; infertility; natural products; plant extract.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Male sex hormone formation. GnRH is secreted from the hypothalamus, subsequently LH stimulating the Leydig cell to produce testosterone and FSH activating the Sertoli cells to induce sperm production.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Female sex hormone formation. GnRH secreted from the hypothalamus induces the production of FSH from the pituitary gland to stimulate follicle growth. Estrogen induces the production of LH which ovulates the mature follicle, while progesterone made from the corpus luteum inhibits the activation of LH.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Reactive oxidative species (ROS) and infertility. ROS are induced from a variety of causes and consequently destroy the structure of lipid matrix in the membranes of spermatozoa and are associated with loss of motility and impairment of spermatogenesis.

Figure 4

Figure 4

Glutathione oxidation pathway and lipid peroxidation pathway. (a) The glutathione pathway detoxifies superoxide radicals through the reduction of hydro-peroxides by glutathione peroxide (GPX). (b) Lipid peroxidation pathway is induced by ROS and MDA and TBRAS which are the products of the pathway used to assess the degree of the oxidation process.

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