Assessment of trans, trans-muconic acid in human seminal plasma.
Trans, trans-muconic acid (tt-MA) is one of the most important metabolites of benzene, a pollutant ubiquitously distributed in ambient air and classified in 1982 as a group I carcinogen. For its sensitivity and specificity, tt-MA excreted in urine is considered a good biological marker of benzene exposure. In this study, seminal tt-MA levels in occupationally nonexposed subjects (n = 32) have been determined. The seminal fluid of normozoospermic subjects contained an average tt-MA concentration (170 +/- 100 ng ml-1) significantly lower than that of teratozoospermic (310 +/- 180 ng ml-1; P < 0.01), oligozoospermic (400 +/- 180 ng ml-1; P < 0.001), and oligoasthenozoospermic (430 +/- 230 ng ml-1; P < 0.01) subjects. A negative correlation existed between tt-MA levels and sperm concentration (r = - 0.62; P < 0.001), percentage of normal spermatozoa (r = - 0.41; P < 0.05), and percentage of vital spermatozoa (r = - 0.89; P < 0.001). Average tt-MA levels detected in seminal plasma were higher in smokers (350 +/- 160 ng ml-1) than in nonsmokers (280 +/- 210 ng ml-1). These results show that seminal plasma tt-MA content could be an important biological indicator for evaluating the negative effects of benzene on spermatogenesis.
Ducci
M
M
Dipartimento di Anatomia Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, Viale della Piagge 2, I-56124 Pisa, Italy. mducci@vet.unipi.it
Tedeschi
D
D
Rossi
P
P
Gazzano
A
A
Villani
C
C
Voliani
S
S
Bertozzi
M A
MA
Martelli
F
F
Menchini-Fabris
F
F
D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013011:Sorbic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
C005939:muconic acid; D013011:Sorbic Acid