Abstract: The decreased progressive sperm and the increased sperm malformation are the most direct causes of male infertility. Under the normal physiological condition, the low level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the male reproductive system plays an important role in sperm chromatin coagulation, energy gain, movement and cell defense. However, the high level of ROS destroys the balance between oxidation and anti-oxidation in the body, forms oxidative stress, and negatively affects the movement, morphology of sperm and stability of the sperm DNA, and reduces certain functions and fertilization potential of the sperm. Inositol (MI) and its derivatives disseminated widely in mammalian tissues and cells play an important biological role. MI is involved in a series of complex fertilization processes, such as sperm survival, induction of activation, fertilization, acrosomal reaction and mutual recognition with oocyte membrane. MI can be used as antioxidants for adjuvant treatment of male infertility. Studies have showed that the in vivo supplement of MI can significantly improve the semen quality of patients with asthenospermia, and that the in vitro supplement of MI can significantly improve the sperm vitality of those patients. In this paper, the application of inositol in infertile men will be discussed.

Key words: Inositol；, Reactive oxygen species；, Infertility, male；, Spermatozoa；, Asthenozoospermia