The Role of Resveratrol in Human Male Fertility

Abstract

Resveratrol (RSV) (3,4′,5 trihydroxystilbene) is a natural non-flavonoid polyphenol widely present in the Mediterranean diet. In particular, RSV is found in grapes, peanuts, berries, and red wine. Many beneficial effects of this molecule on human health have been reported. In fact, it improves some clinical aspects of various diseases, such as obesity, tumors, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes mellitus. However, little is known about the relationship between this compound and male fertility and the few available results are often controversial. Therefore, this review evaluated the effects of RSV on human male fertility and the mechanisms through which this polyphenol could act on human spermatozoa.

Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Male Fertility Potential: A Narrative Review

“…Surprisingly, Ricci et al observed a positive correlation between semen volume and concentration, and moderate alcohol consumption (equal to 4–7 units/week), suggesting that a limited consumption of alcohol may improve semen quality [ 96 ]. This might be explained by the fact that some compounds present in alcoholics drinks (i.e., natural flavonoids, and polyphenols in red wine) have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and they reportedly have a positive influence on semen quality (particularly by improving sperm motility, concentration, and survival) at low concentrations [ 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 ]. However, a cross-sectional study including 8344 healthy men did not report any association between low/moderate alcohol consumption and semen quality [ 81 ].…”

Resveratrol and Immune Cells: A Link to Improve Human Health

“…Some studies [127] have shown that RSV appears to be able to enhance the estrogenic effects of hormones, and therefore is a modulator of female reproductive function. Estrogens are also secreted by human Leydig cells in the testicles where they play a paracrine regulatory function [128]. RSV is a phytoestrogen in females, with a chemical structure comparable to that of estrogens.…”

The Role of Selected Natural Biomolecules in Sperm Production and Functionality

“…Being probably the most studied biomolecule of recent decades, RES has attracted widespread scientific attention because of the “French paradox” hypothesis, which associates low incidence of cardiovascular diseases and a long-life expectancy of French people to a moderate consumption of red wine despite a diet containing meals with high amounts of saturated fat [ 23 , 34 , 35 ].…”

“…In recent years, numerous studies have focused on the effects of RES on male reproductive performance and reported that RES enhances spermatogenesis by stimulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, triggers penile erection, reinforces testosterone production, increases testicular sperm count and epididymal sperm motility [ 23 , 37 ]. Furthermore, it was suggested that RES administered in vivo or in vitro acts as an effective reactive oxygen species (ROS)-quencher and stabilizes the antioxidant balance of male reproductive cells and tissues.…”

“…In the meantime, it has been suggested that administration of natural biomolecules has been shown to have a positive impact male infertility [ 18 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. A number of in vivo as well as in vitro studies have reported that active components isolated from natural resources could enhance blood circulation in the male reproductive system and support the synthesis and secretion of androgens [ 27 , 28 ].…”