Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe the first metabolic profile of human sperm cells through the application of an untargeted platform based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sperm cell samples from patients diagnosed with idiopathic asthenozoospermia (n = 30) and healthy subjects (n = 30) were analyzed using a nontargeted metabolomics method based on GC-MS spectroscopy. The mass spectrometric data were collected using multivariate and univariate analyses to identify metabolites related to idiopathic asthenozoospermia. By using metabolomic strategies, we identified 33 metabolites, 27 of which were decreased in the idiopathic asthenozoospermia group compared with the normozoospermic group and six were increased in idiopathic asthenozoospermia. With respect to human sperm cells, some of these metabolites are reported here for the first time. Pathways for nucleoside, amino acid and energy metabolism, and the Krebs cycle were disturbed and were associated with idiopathic asthenozoospermia. The metabolic profiling provides an important first step in studying the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in IAS, and the identified metabolites may become potential biomarkers for its diagnosis and treatment.
Highlights
10%–15% of men are affected by infertility during their reproductive years, yet its etiology remains incompletely understood and nearly half of the cases are considered idiopathic or unexplained [1, 2]
Thirty individual samples were obtained from 30 normozoospermic donors at the human sperm bank of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (FAHNMU), and 30 idiopathic asthenozoospermia (IAS) samples were obtained from 30 men with diagnosed IAS who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center of FAHNMU for treatment of infertility
The retention time and response intensity of the quality control (QC) sample mass spectrum peak were appropriate, which demonstrated that the analytical method was stable and reliable
Summary
10%–15% of men are affected by infertility during their reproductive years, yet its etiology remains incompletely understood and nearly half of the cases are considered idiopathic or unexplained [1, 2]. Asthenozoospermia refers to a decrease in sperm motility in the fresh ejaculate and is a common cause of male infertility [3, 4]. Many factors lead to the occurrence of asthenozoospermia, including varicocele, sperm dysfunction, partial obstruction of the seminal tract, infection, or genetic factors. Some asthenozoospermia cases can be idiopathic, and the etiologies of idiopathic asthenozoospermia (IAS) cannot yet be identified by medical testing [5]. As the underlying causes of IAS remain unknown, a comprehensive understanding of the disorder is needed. Metabolomics might be one way of addressing this question
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