Abstract
The pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for male subfertility/infertility caused by or complicated by genital heat stress remains unclear in many respects. Because seminal plasma creates the environment for the proper functioning of spermatozoa, in this study, we verified the associations among standard spermiograms, seminal biochemical parameters (neutral alpha-glucosidase, fructose, and citric acid) and oxidative stress markers (total antioxidant capacity, catalase activity, superoxide dismutase activity, and malondialdehyde concentration) in distinct entities associated with male infertility with and without long-time exposure to local hyperthermia. We demonstrated that men exposed to prolonged environmental or clinically recognized local heat stress in adulthood may suffer from dysregulation of seminal antioxidant components, which can be directly associated with epididymal and prostate function. The comparative analysis of the studied parameters showed numerous correlations among all biochemical parameters (particularly neutral alpha-glucosidase) with low standard semen quality in almost all the investigated infertile groups. In light of the data obtained in this originally designed study, we conclude that more attention should be paid to the epididymis and accessory gland function in subfertile and infertile men exposed to genital heat stress, especially in the context of novel treatment algorithms (targeted therapies).
Highlights
It is well known that, for effective sperm production, the male gonads require stable thermal environments at a minimum 2 ◦C below the temperature of the body core
The selection of the groups under study was aimed at increasing our knowledge of the pathophysiology of human infertility caused or complicated by genital heat stress
The results obtained in the groups exposed to long-term scrotal hyperthermia, namely, professional drivers and infertile patients with varicoceles, did not show significant variations in the three biochemical markers compared to the control group as well as to the group of infertile men not exposed to prolonged thermogenic factors (Figure 1)
Summary
It is well known that, for effective sperm production, the male gonads require stable thermal environments at a minimum 2 ◦C below the temperature of the body core. There are a number of clinical reports postulating the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of male infertility associated with varicocele In patients with this pathology, an increase in levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [10] and/or MDA concentrations [11,12] in seminal plasma has been observed. It should be highlighted here that two similar positive correlations of fructose and citric acid with semen volume were observed in the group of infertile men with history of cryptorchidism. These were the only correlations demonstrated in this study group.
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