title: Are oxidative stress markers associated with unexplained male infertility?
abstract: Male infertility can be responsible for up to 20% of the cases attending fertility consultation facilities; nonetheless, the underlying molecular mechanisms that could explain it are still elusive. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate conventional and functional parameters of semen samples from patients who presented with male infertility of unknown origin. Conventional semen parameters and functional parameters (i.e. intracellular reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial membrane potential, sperm chromatin structure assay, sperm membrane lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity of seminal plasma) were evaluated on semen samples from 54 healthy donors, 23 patients with idiopathic infertility and 34 fertile controls. No significant differences were observed in the conventional seminal parameters between the fertile and infertile men. However, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA fragmentation were observed in the infertile patients compared to the fertile group. Alterations in intracellular ROS production and DNA fragmentation could be associated with male idiopathic infertility. These parameters could eventually distinguish both groups more accurately than the conventional parameters. Our current results are encouraging, and the efficacy of these parameters in the clinical settings needs to be further assessed to establish their predictive potential as a marker of unexplained male infertility.
authors: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.|Grupo Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors: B J M
authors: BJM
authors: Mayorga-Torres
authors: Grupo Genética, Regeneración y Cáncer, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Camargo
authors: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors: Á P
authors: ÁP
authors: Cadavid
authors: Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa.
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: du Plessis
authors: Grupo Reproducción, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors: W D
authors: WD
authors: Cardona Maya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000032:analysis; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry*; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D002843:Chromatin; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
keywords: DNA fragmentation; fertility; reactive oxygen species; seminal parameters; spermatozoa