title: Mitochondrial respiratory efficiency is positively correlated with human sperm motility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency with variations in sperm motility and with sperm morphologic anomalies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sperm mitochondrial respiratory activity was evaluated with a polarographic assay of oxygen consumption carried out in hypotonically-treated sperm cells. A possible relationship among sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, sperm motility, and morphologic anomalies was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mitochondrial respiratory efficiency was positively correlated with sperm motility and negatively correlated with the percentage of immotile spermatozoa. Moreover, midpiece defects impaired mitochondrial functionality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that an increase in sperm motility requires a parallel increase in mitochondrial respiratory capacity, thereby supporting the fundamental role played by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in sperm motility of normozoospermic subjects. These results are of physiopathological relevance because they suggest that disturbances of sperm mitochondrial function and of energy production could be responsible for asthenozoospermia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferramosca
authors.forename: Sara Pinto
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Provenzano
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011048:Polarography; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult