Sperm DNA damage correlates with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biomarker in coke-oven workers.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to determine whether occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in men has adverse effect on semen quality.


METHODS
Forty-eight coke-oven workers, including 16 topside-oven (TO) workers and 32 sideoven (SO) workers, were studied. Ambient PAHs exposure, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) levels, and parameters of semen quality were determined.


RESULTS
TO workers had significantly higher ambient PAHs exposure (3,436.1+/-3,411.0 vs. 1,123.1+/-1,829.3 ng/m3, P < 0.01), urinary 1-OHP levels (207.8+/-176.4 vs. 54.0+/-44.8 microg/g, P < 0.001), frequency of oligospermia (18.8 vs. 0%, P < 0.05), and morphological abnormality in sperm (32.3 vs. 14.6%, P < 0.01) than SO workers. Among cigarette smokers, TO workers had significantly higher rates of DNA denaturation in spermatozoa (alphaT) and percentage of sperm with increased DNA denaturation (COMP alphaT) levels than SO workers (246.2+/-49.5 vs. 198.1+/-30.3 for alphaT; 34.8+/-14.4 vs. 19.3+/-13.9% for COMP alphaT, P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between urinary 1-OHP and alphaT, COMP alphaT, and abnormal sperm morphology and a tenfold increase in urinary 1-OHP associated with a 2.35-fold increase in alphaT, as well as a 1.07-fold increase in percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology.


CONCLUSIONS
A potential risk of sperm dysfunction should be considered for workers occupationally exposed to high levels of PAHs. Cigarette smoking may aggravate this risk. Urinary 1-OHP can be used as a biomarker predicting sperm dysfunction.
Hsu
Ping-Chi
PC
Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chen
I-Yueh
IY
Pan
Chih-Hong
CH
Wu
Kuen-Yuh
KY
Pan
Min-Hsiung
MH
Chen
Jenq-Renn
JR
Chen
Cheng-Jung
CJ
Chang-Chien
Guo-Ping
GP
Hsu
Chang-Hung
CH
Liu
Chiu-Shong
CS
Wu
Ming-Tsang
MT
D000328:Adult; D003077:Coke; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D013624:Taiwan
D003077:Coke; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons