All living aerobic cells are normally exposed to some reactive oxygen species (ROS) but if
ROS levels rise, oxidative stress (OS) occurs, which results in oxygen and oxygen-derived
oxidants, and in turn increases the rates of cellular damage. OS has been shown to be a
major cause of male infertility; a large proportion of infertile men have elevated levels of
seminal ROS. Several forms of sperm DNA damage are caused by ROS, eg chromatin cross-
linking, chromosome deletion, DNA strand breaks and base oxidation. Moreover, ROS are …

Oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis are associated with male infertility as a
cause and as a manifestation. Several clinical conditions and laboratory findings may be
indicative of the presence of oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and apoptosis. The use
of standardized assays for the diagnosis of oxidative stress, sperm DNA damage, and
apoptosis should be limited to cases where these conditions are suspected. The
identifications of the causative factor for infertility will lead to a specific and subsequently …