[Evaluation of sperm mitochondrial membrane potential in varicocele patients using JC-1 fluorescent staining].
OBJECTIVE
To detect sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of varicocele patients and investigate its clinical significance.


METHODS
Sixty-seven varicocele patients were divided into a VC1 (grade 1, n = 26), a VC2 (grade 2, n = 21) and a VC3 group (grade 3, n = 20). And 29 normal fertile volunteers were included in a control group ( m = 29). Conventional semen analyses were performed by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA). Semen samples were washed, followed by JC-1 staining to evaluate the sperm MMP (JC-1+ %) by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
The sperm MMPs of the VC1, VC2 and VC3 groups were siginificantly lower ([56.29 +/- 16.32]%, P < 0.05; [45.04 +/- 13.21]%, P < 0.01; [31.63 +/- 12.91]%, P < 0.01) than that of the control ([76.21 +/- 13. 96]%). There was a significant positive correlation between the percentage of JC-1+ and that of grade (a + b) sperm (r =0.693, P=0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
The decreased MMP in the sperm of varicocele men might be one of the important causes of male infertility.
Hu
Yi
Y
Department of Andrology, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
Xia
Xin-yi
XY
Pan
Lian-jun
LJ
Lü
Nian-qing
NQ
Wu
Yong-ming
YM
Zhou
Xin
X
Shang
Xue-jun
XJ
Cui
Ying-xia
YX
Huang
Yu-feng
YF
D000328:Adult; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D014646:Varicocele / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult