title: Sperm DNA damage correlates with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biomarker in coke-oven workers.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ping-Chi
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: I-Yueh
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chih-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Kuen-Yuh
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Min-Hsiung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Jenq-Renn
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cheng-Jung
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guo-Ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Chang-Chien
authors.forename: Chang-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chiu-Shong
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ming-Tsang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons