Effects of vitamin E and beta-carotene on sperm competitiveness.

Ecol Lett

Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

Published: September 2011

AI Article Synopsis

  • Sperm are vulnerable to oxidative damage due to factors like reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and limited DNA repair capacity.
  • Dietary antioxidants, particularly vitamin E, enhance sperm competitiveness in male crickets during fertilization trials, while beta-carotene alone does not have this effect.
  • A combination of high vitamin E and beta-carotene leads to the most competitive ejaculates, suggesting that these compounds have synergistic antioxidant properties that can improve male reproductive success.

Article Abstract

Sperm are particularly prone to oxidative damage because they generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), have a high polyunsaturated fat content and a reduced capacity to repair DNA damage. The dietary compounds vitamin E and beta-carotene are argued to have antioxidant properties that help to counter the damaging effects of excess ROS. Here in, we tested the post-copulatory consequences for male crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) of dietary intake of these two candidate antioxidants. During competitive fertilisation trials, vitamin E, but not beta-carotene, singularly enhanced sperm competitiveness. However, the diet combining a high vitamin E dose and beta-carotene produced males with the most competitive ejaculates, possibly due to the known ability of beta-carotene to recycle vitamin E. Our results provide support for the idea that these two common dietary compounds have interactive antioxidant properties in vivo, by affecting the outcomes of male reproductive success under competitive conditions.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01653.xDOI Listing

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