2014, Pages 707–714
Volume 1: Polyphenols in Chronic Diseases and their Mechanisms of Action
Chapter 54 – Polyphenols and Reproductive Health
Male
and female reproductive health is under the influence of uncountable
endogenous and exogenous factors. A vast amount of literature is devoted
to understanding how such factors operate to disrupt organs and cells
of the reproductive tract and, at the same time, which kind of
preventive or curative actions might be implemented. Polyphenols, mainly
by their antioxidant properties, are promising substances to mitigate
reproductive disruptions, most of which are known to involve oxidative
stress. Largely found in a vast number of foods, beverages, plants and
herbs, polyphenols may also act as phytoestrogens and trigger numerous
responses mainly in the female reproductive system. Acting in a
dose-dependent way, polyphenols can also exert toxic effects to both
males and females, and their safety limits are also largely under
investigation. This chapter briefly reviews the literature concerning
polyphenol action in the healthy and disrupted male and female
reproductive apparatus, aiming to put the reader in contact with the
most recent research in such themes.
Keywords
- Curcumin;
- oxidative stress;
- polyphenols;
- phytoestrogens;
- quercetin;
- resveratrol;
- spermatogenesis
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
