The magazine of the european research area European Commission Copenhagen, a missed chance?

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Of the fragility 

of sperm …

According to the Genetics, Repro-

duction and Development unit, 

consisting of researchers from 

several French research centres, 

an antioxidant protein known 

as GPX5 serves to protect human 

sperm. Sperm acquires its fertilis-

ing capacity during maturation in 

the epididymis. However, the DNA 

of particularly fragile sperm may 

fragment after oxidative stress. 

And this is where GPX5 comes in. 

Researchers have discovered 

that male mice that are deficient 

in this protein possess morpholog-

ically normal sperm. But when 

this sperm is used to fertilise 

ovules from female mice caught 

in the wild, this produces develop-

mental defects and a greater 

incidence of miscarriages and 

perinatal mortality. These results, 

if applicable to humans, could 

have an impact on the technolo-

gy of medically assisted procrea-

tion (MAP). They could also help 

improve the protection of human 

sperm, which currently under-

goes severe oxidative stress 

during thawing prior to artificial 

insemination.