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Fluorescent probes for the detection of reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa

Escada-Rebelo, Sara,Mora, Francisca,Sousa, Ana,Almeida Santos, Teresa,Paiva, Artur,Ramalho-Santos, João

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is a by-product of mitochondrial activity and is necessary for the acquisition of the capacitated state, a requirement for functional spermatozoa. However, an increase in oxidative stress, due to an abnormal production of ROS, has been shown to be related to loss of sperm function, highlighting the importance of an accurate detection of sperm ROS, given the specific nature of this cell. In this work, we tested a variety of commercially available fluorescent probes to detect ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in human sperm, to define their specificity. Using both flow cytometry (FC) and fluorescence microscopy (FM), we confirmed that MitoSOX™ Red and dihydroethidium (DHE) detect superoxide anion (as determined using antimycin A as a positive control), while DAF-2A detects reactive nitrogen species (namely, nitric oxide). For the first time, we also report that RedoxSensor™ Red CC-1, CellROX® Orange Reagent, and MitoPY1 seem to be mostly sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, but not superoxide. Furthermore, mean fluorescence intensity (and not percentage of labeled cells) is the main parameter that can be reproducibly monitored using this type of methodology.

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Asian Jou nal o And ology (2020) 22, 465–471 www.asiaand o.com; www.ajand ology.com ha di ec s i speci ically o he mi ochond ia.14 Once inside he mi ochond ia, dihyd oe hidium will eac wi h O2 ●-, p oducing ano he molecule, 2-hyd oxye hidium.15 In a educed s a e, his compound emi s blue luo escence. Howe e , on oxida ion, i will in e cala e wi h DNA, emi ing ed luo escence.16 Mi oSOX™ Red has been widely used o he de ec ion o mi ochond ial O2 ●- in human spe ma ozoa.14,17–19 Dihyd oe hidium (DHE) can also be used by i sel o de ec ROS. Lacking he TPP ca ion, DHE is con ined o he cy oplasm20 and is commonly used o de ec cy osolic O2 ●- (o igina ing om he nico inamide adenine dinucleo ide phospha e [NADPH]-oxidase 5 [NOX5] sys em).14,20,21 De Iuliis e al.22 i s epo ed he use o his p obe in human spe ma ozoa. On a di e en no e, RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 is used as an indica o o he oxida i e ac i i y in li ing cells.23 Fo mo e gene al ROS de ec ion, CellROX® O ange Reagen has been used, and on oxida ion, i p oduces o ange/ ed luo escence in he cy osol.24 Ano he commonly used p obe is Mi oPY1, also including he TPP ca ion, which is selec i ely a ge ed owa d he mi ochond ia.25 This p obe de i es om bo ona e26 and has been used in he cons i u ion o p obes highly sensi i e o H2O2.27 On in e ac ion wi h H2O2, bo ona e is con e ed o phenol and emi s g een luo escence.25 None o hese h ee p obes (RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1, CellROX® O ange Reagen , and Mi oPY1) has been p e iously es ed in human spe ma ozoa. Finally, o he de ec ion o RNS, DAF-2 DA is he s anda d p obe. Once inside he cell, DAF-2 DA will be hyd olyzed h ough he ac i i y o cy osolic INTRODUCTION F om he a ious easons con ibu ing o s a is ics ega ding male in e ili y,1 de ec i e spe m unc ion has been conside ed he majo cause,2 and in u n, oxida i e s ess (OS) is a big con ibu o o his impai ed unc ion, s emming om he p oduc ion o eac i e oxygen species (ROS) and eac i e ni ogen species (RNS). Spe ma ozoa p oduce bo h cy osolic and mi ochond ial supe oxide and ROS- ela ed hyd ogen pe oxide (H2O2).3,4 RNS a e also p oduced, namely ni ic oxide (NO) syn hesized by NO syn hase (NOS) and pe oxyni i e (ONOO−).5–7 The o e p oduc ion o ROS/RNS has been associa ed wi h memb ane damage, loss o mo ili y, p ema u e capaci a ion and he ac osome eac ion, abno mal mo phology, impai ed oocy e-spe m usion, and apop osis, among o he s.8,9 DNA damage is also a c i ical by-p oduc o OS ha can ul ima ely esul in e iliza ion p oblems, misca iage, and abno mali ies o he o sp ing.10–12 Mo eo e , ano he consequence o ROS p oduc ion is lipid pe oxida ion,8,9 comp omising he in eg i y o he spe m memb ane, impai ing mo ili y, and dec easing iabili y.13 The inc easing in e es in unde s anding he in ol emen o ROS/RNS p oduc ion in male in e ili y highligh s he need o imp o ed de ec ion sys ems o measu e accu a ely he con en o ROS/RNS, mos ly using luo escen p obes. One o he s aple eagen s is Mi oSOX™ Red, a p obe comp ising dihyd oe hidium bound o he iphenylphosphonium (TPP) ca ion ORIGINAL ARTICLE Fluo escen p obes o he de ec ion o eac i e oxygen species in human spe ma ozoa Sa a Escada-Rebelo1,2,3, F ancisca G Mo a2, Ana P Sousa2,4, Te esa Almeida-San os2,4,5, A u Pai a6, João Ramalho-San os2,7 Reac i e oxygen species (ROS) p oduc ion is a by-p oduc o mi ochond ial ac i i y and is necessa y o he acquisi ion o he capaci a ed s a e, a equi emen o unc ional spe ma ozoa. Howe e , an inc ease in oxida i e s ess, due o an abno mal p oduc ion o ROS, has been shown o be ela ed o loss o spe m unc ion, highligh ing he impo ance o an accu a e de ec ion o spe m ROS, gi en he speci ic na u e o his cell. In his wo k, we es ed a a ie y o comme cially a ailable luo escen p obes o de ec ROS and eac i e ni ogen species (RNS) in human spe m, o de ine hei speci ici y. Using bo h low cy ome y (FC) and luo escence mic oscopy (FM), we con i med ha Mi oSOX™ Red and dihyd oe hidium (DHE) de ec supe oxide anion (as de e mined using an imycin A as a posi i e con ol), while DAF-2A de ec s eac i e ni ogen species (namely, ni ic oxide). Fo he i s ime, we also epo ha RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1, CellROX® O ange Reagen , and Mi oPY1 seem o be mos ly sensi i e o hyd ogen pe oxide, bu no supe oxide. Fu he mo e, mean luo escence in ensi y (and no pe cen age o labeled cells) is he main pa ame e ha can be ep oducibly moni o ed using his ype o me hodology. Asian Jou nal o And ology (2020) 22, 465–471; doi: 10.4103/aja.aja_132_19; published online: 14 Janua y 2020 Keywo ds: low cy ome y; luo escen p obes; human spe ma ozoa; oxida i e s ess; eac i e oxygen species 1PhD P og amme in Expe imen al Biology and Biomedicine, CNC-Cen e o Neu oscience and Cell Biology, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a 3004-504, Po ugal; 2Biology o Rep oduc ion and S em Cell G oup, CNC-Cen e o Neu oscience and Cell Biology, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a 3004-504, Po ugal; 3IIIUC - Ins i u e o In e disciplina y Resea ch, Casa Cos a Alemão, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a 3030-789, Po ugal; 4Rep oduc i e Medicine Uni , Uni e si y Hospi als o Coimb a, Coimb a 3004-561, Po ugal; 5Facul y o Medicine, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a 3000-370, Po ugal; 6Clinical Pa hology Uni , Uni e si y Hospi als o Coimb a, Coimb a 3004-561, Po ugal; 7Depa men o Li e Sciences, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a 3000-456, Po ugal. Co espondence: D . J Ramalho-San os ([email p o ec ed]) Recei ed: 09 June 2019; Accep ed: 10 Sep embe 2019 Open Access Spe m Biology Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Asian Jou nal o And ology P obes o ROS de ec ion in human spe m S Escada-Rebelo e al 466 es e ases, p e en ing i s exi om he cell. By eac ing wi h NO●, DAF-2 is con e ed o i s luo escen iazole de i a i e (DAF-2T), ha emi s g een luo escence.28 Ou goal was o compa e hese comme cially a ailable luo escen p obes, o de e mine hei speci ici y owa ds ce ain eac i e species. MATERIALS AND METHODS Reagen s and media Unless s a ed o he wise, all eagen s we e om Sigma–Ald ich (S . Louis, MO, USA) and all p obes we e om Molecula P obes/In i ogen (Eugene, OR, USA). Two spe m suspension media we e used: Spe m P epa a ion Medium (SPM - Medicul -O igio, Jyllinge, Denma k) and a PBS supplemen ed medium.29 Spe m sample collec ion, p ocessing, and analysis All spe m samples we e kindly p o ided by he Rep oduc i e Medicine Uni a he Uni e si y Hospi als o Coimb a, Coimb a, Po ugal. The pa ien s unde going e ili y ea men s signed in o med consen o ms au ho izing he use o he emaining sample, and all human ma e ial was used in acco dance wi h he app op ia e e hical and In e nal Re iew Boa d (IRB) guidelines p o ided by he Uni e si y Hospi als o Coimb a, which app o ed he s udy. The semen samples we e ob ained a e 3–5 days o sexual abs inence and he spe miog am was pe o med acco ding o he Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion Guidelines (WHO, 2010),30 including pa ame e s such as concen a ion, mo ili y, and mo phology. A e analysis, he samples we e p epa ed by densi y g adien cen i uga ion as desc ibed p e iously,31 which allowed spe m seg ega ion om seminal plasma and ound cells, and his was also con i med isually, al hough no speci ic me hod o emo e leukocy es was used. Finally, he spe ma ozoa we e incuba ed a leas o 3 h in Spe m P epa a ion Medium o allow capaci a ion o occu . Flow cy ome y (FC) Fo all FC expe imen s, a cell suspension o 5 × 106 spe m ml−1 (in a olume o 500 µl) was analyzed using a BD FACSCalibu (Bec on Dickinson, F anklin Lakes, NJ, USA) low cy ome e wi h an a gon lase ha pe o ms wi h an exci a ion wa eleng h o 488 nm coupled wi h he ollowing emission il e s: 530/30 band pass (FL-1 channel/g een), 585/42 band pass (FL-2 channel/ ed) (Supplemen a y Figu e 1). Flow cy ome y da a we e analyzed using he FlowJo® (FlowJo LLC, Ashland, OR, USA) so wa e and 200 000 e en s we e acqui ed pe assay. Mean luo escence in ensi y (MFI) and pe cen age o labeled cells (PLC) we e bo h conside ed, wi h con ols o assu e ha only spe m cells (and no deb is, leukocy es, o o he ound cells) we e being ga ed and analyzed.30 The concen a ion and incuba ion ime o each p obe was as ollows: Mi oSOX™ Red (1 µmol l−1, 15 min), DHE (50 µmol l−1, 15 min), RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 (3 µmol l−1, 10 min), CellROX® O ange Reagen (1 µmol l−1, 30 min), Mi oPY1 (10 µmol l−1, 40 min; Toc is Bioscience, B is ol, UK), and DAF-2 DA (1 µmol l−1, 40 min). As posi i e con ols o he p obes agains ROS, we used h ee di e en condi ions: an imycin A (79 µmol l−1), H2O2 (0.006% [ / ]; Me ck Millipo e, Bille ica, MA, USA), and H2O2 (0.006% [ / ]) + EDTA (100 µmol l−1; Bio-Rad; He cules, CA, USA). This las con ol was o de e mine i he e would be an inc ease in he le els o H2O2 wi hou he p oduc ion o cy osolic O2 ●-, since EDTA would p e en NOX5 ac i a ion by chela ing calcium (Ca2+). Finally, o cla i y i DAF-2 DA (Me ck Millipo e) is sensi i e o NO●, spe mine (Spe mine NONOa e; 50 µmol l−1) was used.31-33 We used only samples wi h high iabili y (o e 95% iabili y a he s a ), and a emp ed o moni o simul aneously spe m iabili y in he same samples, by pe o ming pilo expe imen s wi h Mi oSOX and Sy ox G een. Howe e , a leas in ou hands, he p esence o he iabili y s aining signi ican ly in e e ed wi h he Mi oSOX signal (unpublished da a). This is clea ly an impo an poin o add ess in he u u e. S a is ical analyses S a is ical analysis was pe o med wi h IBM SPSS So wa e, e sion 21 (A monk, NY, USA). All a iables we e checked o no mal dis ibu ion h ough he Shapi o–Wilk no mali y es . In his wo k, when he da a p esen ed a nonno mal dis ibu ion, only nonpa ame ic es s we e applied. The e o e, when compa ing wo dependen g oups, we used he Wilcoxon es . When he da a had a no mal dis ibu ion, he S uden ’s - es was used. No mally dis ibu ed da a we e p esen ed as mean ± s anda d de ia ion (s.d.) and nonpa ame ic da a we e ep esen ed h ough box and whiske plo s as qua iles Q1, Q2 (median), and Q3. P ≤ 0.05 was conside ed s a is ically signi ican . RESULTS To cha ac e ize each p obe, he pe cen age o labeled cells in each condi ion is c ucial and we de e mined i his pa ame e changed when moni o ed ia low cy ome y o when manually coun ed using luo escence mic oscopy. S aining ep esen a i e images o all p obes a e shown in Figu e 1a–1 . Mi oSOX™ Red exhibi s, in mos cases, ed luo escence in he head egion o he cell (Figu e 1a), and, as expec ed, simila esul s we e ob ained o DHE (Figu e 1b). A p e alen s aining o he midpiece was obse ed when using RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 (Figu e 1c), and o CellROX® O ange Reagen , o ange/ ed luo escence was also seen exclusi ely in he midpiece (Figu e 1d). Mi oPY1, a p obe a ge ed o he mi ochond ia, also emi s g een luo escence in he midpiece (Figu e 1e).25 Finally, DAF-2 DA e ealed g een labeling in he spe m midpiece (Figu e 1 ). When compa ing low cy ome y and manual luo escence mic oscopy coun ing, he e was no di e ence o Mi oSOX™ Red (Figu e 1g) and DHE (Figu e 1h). Figu e 1i shows ha he e a e s a is ically signi ican di e ences o RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1. This did no happen wi h CellROX® O ange (Figu e 1j), bu was he case o Mi oPY1 (Figu e 1k). These di e ences ound wi h RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 and Mi oPY1 a e, in g ea pa , subjec i e, owing o he ope a o s and hei abili y o iden i y co ec ly labeled cells (i.e., no ably wha in ensi y o s aining agains he backg ound cons i u es posi i e s aining). The e o e, h oughou his wo k, we a o ed MFI o e he pe cen age o labeled cells ( ega dless o he me hod used). None heless, g aphs showing he pe cen age o labeled cells (ob ained h ough low cy ome y, and no manual coun ing) we e also included, o ul ima ely be e cha ac e ize he p obes. Fo Mi oSOX™ Red, ou da a show a s a is ically signi ican inc ease in bo h MFI (Figu e 2a–2c) and PLC (Figu e 2d–2 ) in all con ol condi ions, compa ed wi h he ini ial condi ion, Mi oSOX™ Red only. Rega ding DHE, simila ly, he use o posi i e con ols inc eased he le els o MFI (Figu e 2g–2i) and PLC (Figu e 2j–2l), compa ed wi h he ini ial condi ion (only DHE), and his inc ease was s a is ically signi ican h oughou . When using RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 and acqui ing MFI, he con ol wi h an imycin A showed no di e ences (Figu e 3a), and only he con ols H2O2 and H2O2 + EDTA showed a s a is ically signi ican inc ease (Figu e 3b and 3c). Howe e , in e ms o PLC, he e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences o all he con ols compa ed wi h he ini ial condi ion (Figu e 3d–3 ). Fo CellROX® O ange FC, he esul s show a s a is ically signi ican dec ease in MFI upon he use o an imycin A (Figu e 3g), while, on he o he hand, bo h H2O2 and H2O2 + EDTA p oduced a s a is ically Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Asian Jou nal o And ology P obes o ROS de ec ion in human spe m S Escada-Rebelo e al 467 signi ican inc ease (Figu e 3h and 3i). The exac same pa e n wi h he di e en con ols was seen when using PLC (Figu e 3j–3l). Wi h Mi oPY, he use o an imycin A had no e ec when using MFI (Figu e 4a), while a s a is ically signi ican inc ease was seen ollowing he addi ion o H2O2 and H2O2 + EDTA, (Figu e 4b and 4c). In e es ingly, he use o an imycin A signi ican ly dec eased he pe cen age o labeled cells (Figu e 4d), as did bo h he addi ion o H2O2 and H2O2 + EDTA (Figu e 4e and 4 ). The esul s using hese wo con ols we e simila o hose desc ibed o RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1. Finally, wi h DAF-2 DA, we could obse e an inc ease in bo h pa ame e s when adding spe mine as a con ol (Figu e 4g and 4h). DISCUSSION Al hough unexpec ed, he nuclea s aining obse ed when using Mi oSOX™ Red (p obe speci ically a ge ed owa d he mi ochond ia), has been p e iously epo ed, pa icula ly when using an imycin A as Figu e 1: (a– ) Rep esen a i e images o spe ma ozoa labeled wi h luo escen p obes agains ROS/RNS. In he i s ow, (a) Mi oSOX™ Red (1 μmol l−1) and (b) DHE (50 μmol l−1) showed ed luo escence in he spe m head; (c) RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 (3 μmol l−1) s ained mos ly he midpiece o he cell wi h ed luo escence, wi h some cases labeling he head as well; (d) CellROX® O ange Reagen (1 μmol l−1) labeled only he midpiece wi h ed luo escence, while (e) Mi oPY1 (10 μmol l−1) and ( ) DAF-2 DA (1 μmol l−1) labeled he same a ea in g een luo escence. Spe m nucleus we e labeled wi h Hoechs (blue luo escence, middle ow). Phase con as images in g ay show he en i e spe m cell (bo om ow). Scale ba s = 5 μm. (g–k) Pe cen age o labeled cells ob ained h ough low cy ome y (FC) e sus luo escence mic oscopy (FM). Pe cen age o labeled cells o he luo escen p obes: (g) Mi oSOX™ Red (n = 5), (h) DHE (n = 4), (i) RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 (n = 4), (j) CellROX® O ange Reagen (n = 5) and (k) Mi oPY1 (n = 5). All da a p esen a Gaussian dis ibu ion; he e o e, he S uden ’s - es was he s a is ical es pe o med. Da a a e p esen ed as mean ± s anda d de ia ion. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. (l) Do plo ep esen a ion o he ga e se o exclude nonspe m-speci ic e en s. ROS: eac i e oxygen species; RNS: eac i e ni ogen species. h g d c b a e l k j i Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Asian Jou nal o And ology P obes o ROS de ec ion in human spe m S Escada-Rebelo e al 468 a con ol,20 and may ha e se e al specula i e explana ions. Howe e , o he s udies wi h di e en cell ypes wi h a highe cy oplasmic olume and o ganelle s uc u e ha is e y di e en om he speci ic na u e o spe ma ozoa om di e en species ha e demons a ed mi ochond ial s aining.16,34–36 Rega dless, h ough low cy ome ic expe imen s, we can sugges ha Mi oSOX™ Red is sensi i e o bo h mi ochond ial O2 ●-, which ag ees wi h he li e a u e,20 and wi h H2O2, which does no .27 While he esul s migh lead us o belie e ha his p obe is also sensi i e o cy osolic O2 ●-, he e we e no di e ences obse ed be ween he addi ion o H2O2 (con ol used o inc ease he p oduc ion o H2O2 as well as cy osolic O2 ●-) e sus H2O2 + EDTA (con ol used o inc ease he p oduc ion o H2O2 only), sugges ing ha such de ec ion is unlikely, al hough i canno be uled ou (da a no shown). Simila ly, ou esul s sugges ha DHE is also sensi i e o mi ochond ial O2 ●- and H2O2. While o he s ha e s a ed ha his p obe is no speci ic o H2O2, hey do acknowledge ha i migh eac wi h H2O2.27 Howe e , he da a do no seem o suppo he hypo hesis ha DHE can be used o de ec cy osolic O2 ●- speci ically, since he e we e no s a is ically signi ican di e ences be ween he use o H2O2 e sus H2O2 + EDTA (da a no shown). Owing o he cha ac e is ics o his p obe, namely he lack o he TPP ca ion, i would be expec ed ha DHE is only sensi i e o cy osolic O2 ●-. A possible explana ion o why DHE de ec s mi ochond ial O2 ●- migh be ha his ROS can lea e he mi ochond ia h ough he mi ochond ial ol age-dependen Figu e 3: Assessmen o MFI and PLC in he spe m popula ions labeled wi h RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 and CellROX® O ange Reagen . (a–c) MFI alues we e ob ained h ough FC o RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (a) RSR CC-1 e sus RSR + AA (n = 29), (b) RSR e sus RSR + H2O2 (n = 31) and (c) RSR e sus RSR + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 18); (d– ) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (d) RSR e sus RSR + AA (n = 29), (e) RSR e sus RSR + H2O2 (n = 31) and ( ) RSR e sus RSR + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 18); (g–i) MFI alues we e ob ained h ough FC o CellROX® O ange Reagen and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (g) CRO e sus CRO + AA (n = 31), (h) CRO e sus CRO + H2O2 (n = 33) and (i) CRO e sus CRO + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 13); (j–l) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o CRO and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (j) CRO e sus CRO + AA (n = 31), (k) CRO e sus CRO + H2O2 (n = 33) and (l) CRO e sus CRO + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 13). All da a p esen a non-Gaussian dis ibu ion; he e o e, he Wilcoxon es was pe o med. Da a a e p esen ed as qua iles, Q1, Q2 (median) and Q3. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. RSR: RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1; CRO: CellROX® O ange Reagen ; AA: an imycin A; FC: low cy ome y; EDTA: e hylenediamine e a ace ic acid; MFI: mean luo escence in ensi y; PLC: pe cen age o labeled cells. d h c g b a e l k j i Figu e 2: Assessmen o MFI and PLC in he spe m popula ions labeled wi h Mi oSOX™ Red and DHE. (a–c) MFI alues we e ob ained h ough FC o Mi oSOX™ Red and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (a) MSR e sus MSR + AA (n = 33), (b) MSR e sus MSR + H2O2 (n = 31) and (c) MSR e sus MSR + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 15); (d– ) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o Mi oSOX™ Red and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (d) MSR e sus MSR + AA (n = 33), (e) MSR e sus MSR + H2O2 (n = 31) and ( ) MSR e sus MSR + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 15); (g–i) MFI alues we e ob ained h ough FC o DHE and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (g) DHE e sus DHE + AA (n = 37), (h) DHE e sus DHE + H2O2 (n = 36) and (i) DHE e sus DHE + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 19); (j–l) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o DHE and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (j) DHE e sus DHE + AA (n = 37), (k) DHE e sus DHE + H2O2 (n = 36) and (l) DHE e sus DHE + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 19). All da a p esen a non-Gaussian dis ibu ion; he e o e, he Wilcoxon es was pe o med. Da a a e p esen ed as qua iles, Q1, Q2 (median) and Q3. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. MSR: Mi oSOX™ Red; AA: an imycin A; DHE: dihyd oe hidium; FC: low cy ome y; EDTA: e hylenediamine e a ace ic acid; MFI: mean luo escence in ensi y; PLC: pe cen age o labeled cells. d h c g b a e l k j i Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Asian Jou nal o And ology P obes o ROS de ec ion in human spe m S Escada-Rebelo e al 469 anion channels (VDACs).37 A any a e, in ou hands, esul s wi h Mi oSOX™ Red and DHE we e basically he same, sugges ing ha owing o he s uc u e o he male game e, a speci ic mi ochond ial a ge ing o his DHE- ela ed p obes migh be mo e di icul han wi h o he cell ypes. Acco ding o he li e a u e, RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 has been used bo h o he assessmen o he oxida i e ac i i y23,38,39 and o he de ec ion o ROS, al hough o no species in pa icula .40–43 F om he da a ob ained, we sugges ha RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 is sensi i e o H2O2. Rega ding cy osolic O2 ●-, we ha e demons a ed ha RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1 is no sensi i e o i , owing o he lack o s a is ically signi ican di e ences when compa ing he addi ion o H2O2 wi h ha o H2O2 + EDTA (da a no shown). Fo mi ochond ial O2 ●-, he absence o a s a is ically signi ican inc ease in MFI when adding an imycin A (compa ed wi h he condi ion wi h he p obe only) con i ms ha his p obe does no a ge mi ochond ial O2 ●-. In he case o CellROX® O ange Reagen , he no iceable inc ease in signals in he condi ions whe e H2O2 was added and he dec ease wi h he use o an imycin A allow us o conclude ha CellROX® O ange Reagen is oxidized by H2O2 and is no speci ic owa d mi ochond ial O2 ●-. Fu he mo e, despi e i s localiza ion in he cy osol, ou esul s do no show a speci ici y owa d cy osolic O2 ●-. Al hough he li e a u e a ailable is sca ce, CellROX® O ange Reagen has been p e iously used in di e en cell ypes om a ious species o he de ec ion o in acellula ROS44–47 and was also used in a s udy pe o med in adipocy es de i ed om human s em cells speci ically o de ec H2O2,24 which suppo s ou esul s. Mi oPY1 also p o ed o be sensi i e owa d H2O2. This con i ms he li e a u e a ailable since Mi oPY1 has been p e iously used speci ically o he de ec ion o H2O2 in a ious cell ypes om di e en species,25,34,35,48 including mouse spe ma ozoa26 bu ne e in human spe ma ozoa. We we e also able o conclude ha Mi oPY1 does no de ec mi ochond ial O2 ●-, owing o he lack o esponse in bo h pa ame e s upon use o an imycin A, no cy osolic O2 ●-, since he e we e no s a is ically signi ican di e ences be ween Mi oPY1 + H2O2 and Mi oPY1 + H2O2 + EDTA (da a no shown). Finally, FC expe imen s wi h DAF-2 DA allowed o conclude ha i is speci ic o NO●. This kind o labeling has been p e iously shown49 in bo ine spe ma ozoa and human game es.28 The p esen esul s co obo a e all he epo s men ioned, enhancing he conclusion ha DAF-2 DA labels he spe m midpiece in he p esence o NO●. CONCLUSIONS Wi h he p esen wo k, we show ha Mi oSOX™ Red, CellROX® O ange Reagen , DHE, and Mi oPY1 can be employed o he de ec ion o ROS wi h each p obe showing dis inc speci ici ies owa d supe oxide (Mi oSOX™ Red and DHE), hyd ogen pe oxide (CellROX® O ange Reagen and Mi oPY1), o bo h (Mi oSOX™ Red and DHE) while DAF-2 DA can be used o de ec RNS. The use o RedoxSenso ™ Red CC-1, CellROX® O ange Reagen , and Mi oPY1 in human spe ma ozoa is epo ed o he i s ime. We no e ha MFI (and no PLC) is he main pa ame e ha can be ep oducibly moni o ed by his ype o me hodology. In his wo k, i was, howe e , impossible in p ac ice o dis inguish mi ochond ial om cy osolic con ibu ions. Al hough Mi oSOX™ Red and DHE de ec H2O2, hese p obes should no be used only o his speci ic pu pose. All he ROS p obes es ed, Mi oSOX™ Red and Mi oPY1 a e hose we ad ise o be used o he accu a e de ec ion o supe oxide and hyd ogen pe oxide in human spe ma ozoa, espec i ely, owing o he cla i y o he esul s when obse ing/analyzing he cells, whe he h ough low cy ome y (whe e we can, oge he wi h he con ol condi ions, see a clea speci ici y owa d he espec i e ROS p obe) o luo escence mic oscopy (we can easily dis inguish labeled cells om nonlabeled as well as obse e he expec ed cell egion emi ing luo escence). In u u e, i would be in e es ing o co ela e he con en o ROS/RNS de ec ed by hese p obes wi h unc ional cellula pa ame e s ha a e known o be a ec ed by oxida i e s ess (such as capaci a ion, he ac osome eac ion, DNA damage, among o he s) o in e game e quali y h ough ROS/RNS con en . AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS JRS, APS, and SER designed he s udy. SER and FGM pe o med expe imen s and da a analysis and con ibu ed equally o his wo k. TAS and APS p o ided all human spe m samples and pe o med basic spe m analysis, and AP p o ided low cy ome e expe ise. All au ho s c i ically analyzed he da a. SER, FGM, APS, and JRS w o e he manusc ip . All au ho s ead and app o ed he inal manusc ip . COMPETING INTERESTS All au ho s decla ed no compe ing in e es s. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like o hank o all he membe s o he Biology o Rep oduc ion and S em cell esea ch g oup (CNC) o help ul discussions. SER is Figu e 4: Assessmen o MFI and pe cen age o labeled cells in he spe m popula ions labeled wi h Mi oPY1 and DAF-2 DA. (a–c) MFI alues we e ob ained h ough FC o Mi oPY1 and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (a) MPY1 e sus MPY1 + AA (n = 28), (b) MPY1 e sus MPY1 + H2O2 (n = 30) and (c) MPY1 e sus MPY1 + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 14); (d– ) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o Mi oPY1 and compa ed o he posi i e con ols: (d) MPY1 e sus MPY1 + AA (n = 28), (e) MPY1 e sus MPY1 + H2O2 (n = 30) and ( ) Mi oPY1 e sus MPY1 + H2O2 + EDTA (n = 14); (g) MFI and (h) PLC alues we e ob ained h ough FC o DAF-2 DA and compa ed o he posi i e con ol: (g) D2D e sus D2D + Spe mine (n = 28), (h) D2D e sus D2D + Spe mine (n = 28). All da a p esen a non-Gaussian dis ibu ion; he e o e, he Wilcoxon es was pe o med. Da a a e p esen ed as qua iles, Q1, Q2 (median) and Q3. ***P < 0.001. MPY1: Mi oPY1; D2D: DAF-2 DA; AA: an imycin A; FC: low cy ome y; EDTA: e hylenediamine e a ace ic acid; MFI: mean luo escence in ensi y; PLC: pe cen age o labeled cells. d h c g b a e Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Asian Jou nal o And ology P obes o ROS de ec ion in human spe m S Escada-Rebelo e al 470 suppo ed by he Po uguese unding agency o science and echnology (PD/BD/128237/2016 – PhD P og amme in Expe imen al Biology and Biomedicine). CNC is unded by FEDER, h ough P og ama Ope acional Fac o es de Compe i i idade – COMPETE 2020 and Na ional unds ia FCT unde he p ojec POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440. This wo k was also pa ially unded by he Eu opean Regional De elopmen Fund (ERDF), h ough he Cen o 2020 Regional Ope a ional P og amme: p ojec CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012-Heal hyAging2020, he COMPETE 2020 – Ope a ional P og amme o Compe i i eness and In e na ionalisa ion, and he Po uguese na ional unds ia FCT – Founda ion o Science and Technology I.P.: p ojec POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440 and UID/NEU/04539/2019. Supplemen a y In o ma ion is linked o he online e sion o he pape on he Asian Jou nal o And ology websi e. REFERENCES 1 Ja ow JP, Sha lip ID, Belke AM, Lipshul z LI, Sigman M, e al. Bes p ac ice policies o male in e ili y. J U ol 2002; 167: 2138–44. 2 Hull MG, Glazene CM, Kelly NJ, Conway DI, Fos e PA, e al. Popula ion s udy o causes, ea men , and ou come o in e ili y. B Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985; 291: 1693–7. 3 Aga wal A, Vi k G, Ong C, du Plessis SS. E ec o oxida i e s ess on male ep oduc ion. Wo ld J Mens Heal 2014; 32: 1–17. 4 Goossens E, Tou naye H. Spe ma ogenesis. 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This is an open access jou nal, and a icles a e dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha eAlike 4.0 License, which allows o he s o emix, weak, and build upon he wo k non-comme cially, as long as app op ia e c edi is gi en and he new c ea ions a e licensed unde he iden ical e ms. ©The Au ho (s)(2020) Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023 Supplemen a y Figu e 1: Rep esen a i e do plo s ob ained h ough FC o he spe m popula ions labeled wi h he p obes agains ROS/RNS. (a) Mi oSOX™ Red, (b) DHE, (c) Mi oPY1 and (d) DAF-2 DA. FC expe imen s, we e conduc ed using a BD FACSCalibu (Bec on Dickinson; NJ, USA) low cy ome e wi h an a gon lase ha pe o ms wi h an exci a ion wa eleng h o 488 nm coupled wi h he ollowing emission il e s: 530/30 band pass (FL-1 channel/g een), 585/42 band pass (FL-2 channel/ ed). The ol age used o each de ec o was as ollows: FSC – 0 V, SSC – 381 V, FL1 – 605 V and FL2 – 510 V. The compensa ion used was FL1- 0.6% FL2 and FL2 – 45.3% FL1. The ob ained da a we e analyzed using he FlowJo® (FlowJo LLC, Ashland, OR, USA) so wa e, as shown he e. FC: low cy ome y; ROS: eac i e oxygen species; RNS: eac i e ni ogen species; DHE: dihyd oe hidium. d c b a Downloaded om h p://jou nals.lww.com/ajand ology by BhDM 5ePHKa 1zEoum1 Q N4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hC ywCX1AWnYQp/IlQ HD3i3D0OdRyi7T SFl4C 3VC4/OAVpDDa8K2+Ya6H515kE= on 03/08/2023