The role of free radicals and antioxidants in male and female fertility disorders: review study

Introduction: Free radicals play a double role in the body based on their physiological level and can be beneficial or harmful. This review study was performed with aim to evaluate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress on spermatogenesis and oogenesis and the role of using antioxidant in improving fertility in men and women. Methods: In this review study, the issues related to the role of free radicals and antioxidants on male and female fertility disorders were searched in the Persian and English databases including: Elsevier, Scopus, Irandoc, SID, Iran medex, Sciencedirect, Pubmed, GoogleScholar and Web of Science using the keywords of free radicals, male infertility, female infertility, and antioxidants without any time limitation. Finally, 63 studies entered the review study. Results: The excessive production of free radicals in the male reproductive system causes damage to DNA, RNA, and sperm membranes, and ultimately disrupts spermatogenesis. It also causes disorders in the female genital tract including defect in oocyte development and maturation, follicular growth and function of corpus luteum. Conclusion: According the results of previous studies, using antioxidants may remove the harmful effects of free radicals on male and female fertility.