title: Varicocele Negatively Affects Sperm Mitochondrial Respiration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of varicocele on oxidative stress, sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, sperm morphology, and semen parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 20 patients with varicocele and 20 normozoospermic subjects without varicocele (control group) were recruited from a medical center for reproductive biology. The levels of serum reactive oxygen metabolites and seminal lipid peroxides were assessed for both control and varicocele subjects. Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation was measured by sperm chromatin dispersion test. Mitochondrial respiratory activity was evaluated with a polarographic assay of oxygen consumption carried out in hypotonically treated sperm cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, varicocele patients were compared with men without varicoceles. Oxidative stress was observed in the serum and seminal fluid of varicocele patients. These patients showed an increase of 59% (P <.05) in serum reactive oxygen metabolites and a 3-fold increase in the level of sperm lipid peroxides. A parallel and significant increase (a 2-fold increase; P <.05) in the degree of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation was also observed. Varicocele patients showed a 27% decrease (P <.05) in mitochondrial respiratory activity in comparison to the control group. A 32% increase (P <.05) in sperm midpiece defects and a 41% decrease (P <.05) in sperm concentration and motility were also observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men with varicocele have increased markers of oxidative stress and decreased mitochondrial respiratory activity. These results correlated with abnormalities in semen parameters. For morphology, these correlated with midpiece defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy. Electronic address: alessandra.ferramosca@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferramosca
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Albani
authors.affiliation: Biological Medical Center "Tecnomed", Nardò, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000235:genetics*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D014646:Varicocele / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*