Environmental Exposure to Endocrine Disruptor of Bisphenol A and Semen Quality of Men

Abstract

Background: The reproductive health disorders in men are one of the urgent problems of international medicine. The prevalence of idiopathic male infertility has the highest rate. Oxidative stress, genetic factor, and endocrine disruptors are considered to be the most probable causes for the idiopathic male infertility. In this regard, studying the effect of endocrine disruptors, in particular bisphenol A on male reproductive health, becomes actual and relevant. Aims: The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between the concentration level of bisphenol A (BPA) in seminal fluid and semen quality in men with normo- or pathozoospermia, as well as between the concentration level of bisphenol A and the level of total testosterone and estradiol in plasma. Materials and methods: 53 samples of seminal fluid of men with normo- or pathoospermia were studied. In seminal fluid the concentration of bisphenol A was determined by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The spermiological analysis was performed according to the WHO recommendations (2010) including the evaluation of sperm count/concentration, motility and morphology, and DNA fragmentation index. In addition, the concentration of total testosterone and estradiol in plasma was determined. The results were statistically processed using the Mann–Whitney U test, the correlation analysis, the paired regression method, and the ROC curves to determine the cut-off point for BPA in the seminal fluid. The results were considered statistically significant at p0.05. Results: In 100% of the ejaculate samples BPA with a median concentration of 0.15 (0.06–0.31) ng/ml was detected. Using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, statistically significant correlations between the concentration of BPA and the total count (r=-0.330, p=0.016), concentration (r=-0.309; p=0.024), the proportion of progressively motile spermatozoa (r=-0.575; p=0.001), the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology (r=-0.397, p=0.003), the degree of sperm DNA fragmentation (r=0.349, p=0.025), and the concentration of total testosterone (r =-0.616; p0.001) were registered. A statistically significant inverse linear relationship (r=-0.406, p=0.003) and (r =-0.364, p=0.048) was determined by a paired linear regression between the BPA concentration in the seminal fluid and the proportion of progressively motile spermatozoa, and the total testosterone level respectively. To assess the risk of pathozoospermia, the threshold value of seminal BPA concentration was determined using the analysis of ROC-curves; the cut-off point was 0.1025 ng/ml. Conclusions: BPA in the seminal fluid influences negatively on the quality of the sperm and suppress the level of total testosterone in plasma.