Sperm Function Test

Toxicity arising from excess exposure to oxygen (O2) is an inherent challenge to aerobic life. The harmful effects of O2 are attributed to its reduced form (superoxide radical: O2-) or its by-products combined with other highly unstable molecules (hydrogen peroxide: H2O2; hydroxyl radical: HO-). These substances, called oxygen free radicals (from English Reactive Oxygen Species; ROS) have harmful effects in cascade with the surrounding cells in an almost instantaneous way. Cell survival in the face of free radical attack depends, therefore, on the balance between the processes of production and elimination of ROS.

Any circumstance that unbalances these two processes can induce the installation of a condition called oxidative stress, in which the formation of free radicals (oxidizing agents) to antioxidants prevails.