[Tobacco: a potential inductor of lipid peroxidation of the human spermatozoon membrane?].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the membrane lipid peroxidation of human spermatozoon in a cohort of smokers in comparison of never-smokers.


METHODS
Malondialdehyde (MDA), a stable product of the membrane lipid peroxidation, was assessed in 25 smokers and in 17 never-smokers. In parallel, an evaluation of sperm characteristics was realized for all the studied patients.


RESULTS
For the first time, between smokers and never-smokers, a significative increase of MDA concentrations was found by the U-Mann and Whitney test (0.118 +/- 0.176 vs 0.0392 +/- 0.0117 nmol/10(6) spermatozoa), a decrease of the forward motility (grade A), (18 +/- 8 vs 25 +/- 8%) and total sperm count (265.56 +/- 186.96 x 10(6) vs 399.30 +/- 322.23 x10(6)), and also an increase of tapering heads (6 +/- 4 vs 2 +/- 2%) or morphological stress pattern cells (39 +/- 6 vs 24 +/- 5%). In the smokers group, negative significative correlations were found by the non-parametric Spearman test between the MDA concentrations and the sperm count per mL (r=-0.767, p<0.001), the total sperm count (r=-0.656, p<0.001) and the percentage of normal morphology (r=-0.644, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Given of deleterious effects of tobacco in a large panel of human cells and specially on the male gametes, the increase of spermatozoon membrane MDA concentrations and the sperm abnormalities found in the group of smokers may be linked to cigarette smoking.
Laudat
A
A
Laboratoire de biochimie, Biologie de la reproduction/assistance médicale à la procréation, Hôpital Louis Pasteur, Chartres. alaudat@ch-chartres.fr
Lecourbe
K
K
Palluel
A-M
AM
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*
D008563:Membrane Lipids