A Regulatory Role of Sulfhydryl Groups in Modulation of Sperm Membrane Conformation by Heavy Metals: Sulfhydryl Groups as Markers for Infertility Assessment

Sperm membrane sulfhydryl groups, when masked by heavy metals like cobalt and copper at very low concentration (10 −9) shows inhibition of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation is suggested to lead to reduction in membrane fluidity, a prerequisite for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochemical and biophysical research communications 1998-06, Vol.247 (3), p.716-718
Main Authors: Nivsarkar, Manish, Cherian, Bapu, Patel, Satish
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biomarkers - chemistry
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cobalt - pharmacology
Copper - pharmacology
Humans
Infertility - physiopathology
Lipid Peroxidation - physiology
Male
Malondialdehyde - metabolism
Membrane Fluidity - physiology
Metals, Heavy - pharmacology
Oligospermia - physiopathology
Pentoxifylline - pharmacology
Rats
Spermatozoa - drug effects
Sulfhydryl Compounds - physiology
Superoxide Dismutase - antagonists & inhibitors
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Summary:Sperm membrane sulfhydryl groups, when masked by heavy metals like cobalt and copper at very low concentration (10 −9) shows inhibition of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation is suggested to lead to reduction in membrane fluidity, a prerequisite for normal sperm function. Augmentation of lipid peroxidation by pentoxifylline in oligospermia provides evidence to this hypothesis that membrane sulfhydryls play a regulatory role in membrane modulation. It is therefore suggested that these sulfhydryl groups can be used as a tool for infertility assessment in unexplained male infertility.
ISSN:0006-291X
1090-2104
DOI:10.1006/bbrc.1998.8841