Infertile Nonsmokers Research Articles

Study of the effect of smoking on sperm count in male infertility

Cigarette smoking, one of the main causes of preventable morbidity and mortality, has a multitude of well-known side effects. Tobacco smoking is considered one of the major factors leading to male infertility. A lot is known now about the carcinogens in tobacco cigarette smoke and their resultant effects on organs like lungs and urinary bladder, but their effects on fertility status have been less documented. The present study was aimed at studying the effect of cigarette smoking on sperm count in infertile men. A total of one hundred infertile men (50 Nonsmokers and 50 Smokers) between the age group 20-45 years were taken into this study. The Sperm count in the infertile nonsmokers and the infertile smokers group were compared using Z Test. Infertile Smokers which were divided into Group A (≥1 and ≤10 cigarettes/ day), Group B (>10 and <20 cigarettes/ day) and Group C (≥20 cigarettes/ day) were analyzed for Sperm count levels by ANOVA Test. It was observed that the sperm count was significantly lower (p<0.01) in an infertile smokers group than the infertile nonsmokers group. It was also observed that the sperm count was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in relation to the quantity of cigarette smoking.

Impact of Cigarette Smoking on Sperm Parameters of Infertile Men in Center of Algiers (Capital of Algeria)

Background : Cigarette smoking has negative effects on male fertility. Toxins from tobacco smoking can potentially affect sperm development and function, with a negative effect on semen parameters. In fact, the components of cigarette smoke pass through the blood-testis barrier and thus induce an alteration of sperm parameters and nucleus quality of the spermatozoa. The aim is to determine a diffence between tobbaco and no tobbaco patient and semen parameters. This article aimed to assess the relationship between smoking and male infertility.&#x0D; Subject and Methods : this is retrospective study focused on the effects of smoking on semen analyses. 377 men (165 non-smokers, 212 smokers) with infertility for at least 1 year were evaluated between Mars and November 2018, in center of algiers (capital of Algeria). Sperm characteristics (concentration, motility, morphology, and volume) were detemined.&#x0D; Results: Sperm concentration, percentage motility and morphology were significantly lower in an infertile Smokers group than the infertile Nonsmokers group. We also observed that the infertility duration were significantly increased (p&lt;0.05) in accordance with the age in an infertile Smokers group. Our study shows that cigarette smoking is associated with reduced sperm count and motility.&#x0D; Conclusions: Our results suggest that cigarette smoking has an overall negative effect on semen parameters. Our study suggests that men should be advised to abstain from smoking in order to improve reproductive outcomes.&#x0D; Keywords: smoking, semen, male infertility, sperm, humans

Relationship Between Smoking Habit and Sperm Parameters Among Patients Attending an Infertility Clinic

BackgroundThis study aimed to estimate stress markers, oxidative stress (OS), reproductive hormones and sperm parameters in male smokers and non-smokers and observe the impact of oxidative stress markers and smoking on sperm count, motility and morphology in a selected population of Karachi, Pakistan.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 at Aga Khan University (AKU), in Karachi, Pakistan. The subjects were recruited from the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Medicine (SIRM), Karachi based on defined inclusion criteria. The subjects were categorized into fertile and infertile based on cut off values of sperm parameters as recommended by the WHO i.e., sperm count/ejaculate of 39 × 106/ml, sperm motility 40% and normal morphology 4%. Two hundred eleven fertile and 165 infertile male subjects were included in the study. Serum cortisol, adrenaline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were analyzed by ELISA kits. Data was analyzed on SPSS-22. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsAge, Body Mass Index (BMI), and body fat were similar among smokers and non-smokers. Age was significantly lower, while mean BMI and body fat were significantly higher among infertile smokers vs. fertile smokers (p-value < 0.05). The testosterone levels were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non- smokers (p-value < 0.05). The median cortisol levels were increased as well as GPX, and steroid hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non-smokers. Additionally, the same findings with a significant difference have also been observed among infertile smokers as compared to fertile smokers (p-value < 0.05). This study has shown that the semen parameters (total count, motility, and morphology) are decreased in infertile smokers as compared to infertile non-smokers. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis showed that smoking causes a significant decrease in sperm count and morphology but it did not have any significant effect on motility.ConclusionSmoking has a significant effect on fertility, specifically sperm count and normal morphology of sperm. This might be due to OS produced by smoking, which has devastating effects on semen parameters, thus reducing male fertility. Infertility specialist should counsel their patients about the ill effects of smoking on their fertility status and should advise maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including normal weight and avoiding smoking, to prevent future health problems. Hence smokers should quit smoking for their next generation.

Cadmium effects on sperm morphology and semenogelin with relates to increased ROS in infertile smokers: An in vitro and in silico approach

Smoking releases cadmium (Cd), the metal toxicant which causes an imbalance in reactive oxygen species level in seminal plasma. This imbalance is envisaged to impair the sperm DNA morphology and thereby result in male infertility. In order to correlate this association, we performed in vitro and in silico studies and evaluated the influence of reactive oxygen species imbalance on sperm morphology impairments due to smoking. The study included 76 infertile smokers, 72 infertile non-smokers, 68 fertile smokers and 74 fertile non-smokers (control). Semen samples were collected at regular intervals from all the subjects. Semen parameters were examined by computer assisted semen analysis, quantification of metal toxicant by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, assessment of antioxidants through enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods, diagnosis of reactive oxygen species by nitro blue tetrazolium method and Cd influence on sperm protein by in vitro and in silico methods. Our analysis revealed that the levels of cigarette toxicants in semen were high, accompanied by low levels of antioxidants in seminal plasma of infertile smoker subjects. In addition the investigation of Cd treated sperm cells through scanning electronic microscope showed the mid piece damage of spermatozoa. The dispersive X-ray analysis to identify the elemental composition further confirmed the presence of Cd. Finally, the in-silico analysis on semenogelin sequences revealed the D-H-D motif which represents a favourable binding site for Cd coordination. Our findings clearly indicated the influence of Cd on reactive oxygen species leading to impaired sperm morphology leading to male infertility.

Evaluating the Functional Status of Spermatozoa in Smokers Using Hypo-osmotic Swelling Test

Background: Smoking damages sperm, making them less likely to fertilize eggs and making the embryos they do manage to create less likely to survive, as smoking degrades sperm protein needed for fertility and embryo survival. There exists a strong negative relationship between smoking and fertility due to the fact that genetic material in the sperm can be damaged by the chemicals in cigarette smoke. The available data do not conclusively demonstrate that smoking decreases male fertility. However, with much debate for its impact on various semen parameters, it is regarded as an infertility risk factor. Apart from genetic damage, we intended to study the membrane integrity of spermatozoa, a main factor in fertilization. Therefore, this study has hunted to assess the relationship between smoking and male infertility by evaluating the semen parameters and the membrane integrity of the spermatozoa by hypo-osmotic swelling test among different subgroups of smoker, as per smoking index and non-smoker infertile males. Methods: Membrane integrity of spermatozoa is analyzed by hypo-osmotic swelling test, the simplest and least expensive assay to assess the functional integrity of sperm-membrane among 204 infertile smokers who were subgrouped depending on the strength of smoking and 30 controls. Results: Infertile smokers showed decreased membrane integrity among asthenospermia, teratozoospermia, asthenoteratozoospermia, and oligospermic compared to infertile non-smokers with a significant variation (P<0.05) among the different subgroups and also with control group. Conclusion: Hypo-osmotic swelling test is an important tool for assessing the extent of membrane damage caused by smoking resulting in severity of infertility.

Nitric oxide levels and total antioxidant capacity in the seminal plasma of infertile smoking men.

Cigarette is a rich source of oxidants and reactive nitrogen species. Nitric oxide (NO) in high concentration has deleterious effects on human sperm function. Antioxidant defense system in seminal plasma protects spermatozoa from the attack of reactive oxygen metabolites. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between cigarette smoking with the NO levels and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the seminal plasma in infertile smoker men and to compare severity of oxidative stress (OS) in them with fertile and infertile non-smoking men. In this cross sectional study, a total of 95 male participants attended the Infertility Clinic of the Fatehmeh-zahra Hospital in Babol, Mazandaran Province, Iran, between 2010 and 2011. They were divided into three groups: I. fertile non-smokers (F.ns; n=32), II. infertile non-smokers (IF.ns; n=30) and III. infertile smokers (IF.s; n=33) according to semen analysis World Health Organization guidelines (WHO, 2001) and smoking data. TAC concentration and NO levels of seminal plasma were measured using the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) method and the Griess reagent, respectively. Standard sperm parameters were significantly higher in the fertile group than those in the infertile groups, but these differences between the IF.ns and IF.s were not statistically significant. The mean TAC in the seminal plasma was higher in the F.ns>IF.ns>IF.s, respectively, but these differences were not statistically significant among three groups (p= 0.096). In contrast, the mean NO level in the seminal plasma was lower in the F.ns<IF.ns< IF.s, respectively. These differences were statistically significant among the three groups (p= 0.018). It argued that the increased NO levels associated with smoking might exceed the capacity of antioxidant defense system, leading to increased oxidative damage of seminal plasma and decreased fertility in men.

Association between RsaI polymorphism in estrogen receptor β gene and male infertility.

The estrogen receptor β (ERβ) gene plays an important role in the regulation of fertility in both males and females. The RsaI polymorphism in ERβ is associated with male infertility in Caucasian patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of this polymorphism in the etiology of idiopathic male infertility and its correlation with smoking habits. We analyzed 287 Brazilian men, including 161 infertile and 126 fertile men, to evaluate the association between the RsaI polymorphism and male infertility. The RsaI variant alleles of all patients were determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. Compared with a control group (normozoospermic men), the frequency of the RsaI AG-genotype was four times higher in infertile men (P = 0.01), five times higher in azoospermic men (P = 0.02), and seven times higher in teratozoospermic men (P = 0.001). The frequency of the RsaI AG-genotype was three times higher in infertile smokers (P = 0.038) compared with infertile nonsmokers, and nine times higher in azoospermic smokers (P = 0.035) compared with azoospermic nonsmokers. The RsaI polymorphism in ERβ may have modulating effects on human spermatogenesis. There seems to be a consistent association between RsaI polymorphism and smoking habits in infertile men.

Effect of Smoking on Semen Quality of Infertile Men in Mosul City, Iraq

Objectives: It's known that cigarette smoking affects semen quality. The aim of the present study is to compare the semen of infertile cigarette smokers with infertile non-smokers as well as with healthy men to examine the impact of smoking on the quality of sperm. Methodology: A case-control study was applied in the present study. For the period of 1st January till the 1st April 2011. The semen quality of men with infertility, smokers (n 150) and nonsmokers (n100), were compared with (n 100) healthy- nonsmokers men. Conventional semen analysis was performed and sperm morphology was assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Smoker patients were classified as mild (1-10 cigarettes/d), moderate (10 -20 cigarettes/day), or heavy smokers (more 20 cigarettes/d).data was analyze through inferential statistics. Results: The study finding showed that sperm parameters quality in smoker men was approximately lower than nonsmoker men and the cigarette smoking and the dose has significant negative effect on sperm parameters. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that smoking negatively affects male fertility. Recommendation: Smokers should quit smoking for the sense of responsibility for their future generation as tobacco smoke contains numerous mutagenic substances.

Study on effect of cigarette smoking on sperm count and seminal malondialdehyde levels of infertile men

The highest prevalence of smoking is observed in young adult males during their reproductive period. Smoking has been suggested to contribute to a number of diseases including male infertility. Although much is known now about the carcinogens in tobacco cigarette smoke and their resultant effects on organs like lungs and urinary bladder, their effects on fertility status have been less documented. The present study was aimed at studying the effect of cigarette smoking on sperm count and seminal MDA levels of infertile men. A total of one hundred infertile men (50 Nonsmokers and 50 Smokers) between the age group 20–45 years were taken into study. The Sperm count and seminal MDA levels in the infertile Nonsmokers and the infertile Smokers group were compared using Z Test. Infertile Smokers which were divided into Group A (≥1 and ≤10 cigarettes/day), Group B (>10 and <20 cigarettes/day) and Group C (≥20 cigarettes/day) were analyzed for Sperm count and MDA levels of ANOVA Test. We observed that the sperm count was significantly lower (p<0.01) and the seminal MDA levels were significantly higher (p<0.01) in an infertile Smokers group than the infertile Nonsmokers group. We also observed that the sperm count was significantly decreased (p<0.05) and the seminal MDA levels were significantly increased (p<0.05) in accordance with the severity of smoking.

Effect of Smoking Status on Seminal Parameters and Apoptotic Markers in Infertile Men

We assessed semen parameters, sperm apoptotic markers and seminal plasma cotinine in infertile smokers. A total of 160 men were divided into 4 equal groups, including fertile smokers, fertile nonsmokers, infertile smokers and infertile nonsmokers. Smoking was classified as mild--fewer than 10, moderate--10 to 20 or heavy--more than 20 cigarettes daily. All men underwent semen analysis, and assessment of sperm caspase-9, Smac/DIABLO, DNA fragmentation and seminal plasma cotinine. Infertile men, particularly smokers, have significantly lower semen variables and significantly higher sperm Smac/DIABLO, caspase-9 activity, the percent of DNA fragmentation and seminal plasma cotinine. The mean number of cigarettes smoked daily and smoking duration significantly correlated positively with sperm Smac/DIABLO, caspase-9 activity, the percent of DNA fragmentation and seminal plasma cotinine, and significantly correlated negatively with tested semen variables. Heavy smoking was associated with a significant increase in sperm Smac/DIABLO, caspase-9 activity and seminal plasma cotinine, and with a significant decrease in tested semen variables compared with those in moderate or mild smokers. Smoking has a negative impact on semen variables. It is associated with increased sperm caspase-9, Smac/DIABLO and the percent of DNA fragmentation, especially in infertile heavy smokers.

Assessment of oxidative and inflammatory intrafollicular status in tobacco smoking women

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the oxidative and inflammatory status of preovulatory follicles in smoking and non-smoking women undergoing IVF.DESIGN: Prospective Study.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Follicular fluid (FF) was obtained from 20 infertile smoking women (group 1) and 20 infertile non-smokers (group 2) undergoing IVF or ICSI. Active smoker (> 5 cigarettes per day) or non-smoker status was classified according to medical records. There were no differences regarding age, basal FSH, total gonadotropins used and number of oocytes retrieved. We quantified lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant defenses represented by glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Inflammatory environment was analyzed by the quantification of prostaglandin E (PGE). LPO and antioxidants were measured using specific espectrophotometric assays and PGE using a specific radioimmuno assay. Stata 8.0 software was used for statistical analysis.RESULTS: We found that LPO was slightly higher in smokers (Group 1: 0.07 nmol/mg protein vs Group 2: 0.06 nmol/mg protein, p=0.8). SOD activity did not differ between groups (0.6 IU/mg protein vs 1.07 IU/mg protein, p=0.5). The concentration of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione was almost double in the FF from active smokers as compared to non-smoking patients (0.007 umol/mg protein vs 0.0045 umol/mg protein respectively, p=0.3). PGE was remarkably increased in the FF from smokers compared to controls (24.3 vs 5.6 pg/mg protein respectively, p=0.3).CONCLUSION: FF environment and biochemistry is vital for normal oocyte development. Our results demonstrate a tendency to a pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory environment in follicular fluid from smokers. Even though we did not reach a significant difference from the statistical standpoint, the pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant tendency found in smokers is solid and should be further evaluated. These findings point to the potential importance of the oxidant and anti-oxidant follicular imbalance that may affect reproductive outcome in smoking women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the oxidative and inflammatory status of preovulatory follicles in smoking and non-smoking women undergoing IVF. DESIGN: Prospective Study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Follicular fluid (FF) was obtained from 20 infertile smoking women (group 1) and 20 infertile non-smokers (group 2) undergoing IVF or ICSI. Active smoker (> 5 cigarettes per day) or non-smoker status was classified according to medical records. There were no differences regarding age, basal FSH, total gonadotropins used and number of oocytes retrieved. We quantified lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant defenses represented by glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Inflammatory environment was analyzed by the quantification of prostaglandin E (PGE). LPO and antioxidants were measured using specific espectrophotometric assays and PGE using a specific radioimmuno assay. Stata 8.0 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: We found that LPO was slightly higher in smokers (Group 1: 0.07 nmol/mg protein vs Group 2: 0.06 nmol/mg protein, p=0.8). SOD activity did not differ between groups (0.6 IU/mg protein vs 1.07 IU/mg protein, p=0.5). The concentration of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione was almost double in the FF from active smokers as compared to non-smoking patients (0.007 umol/mg protein vs 0.0045 umol/mg protein respectively, p=0.3). PGE was remarkably increased in the FF from smokers compared to controls (24.3 vs 5.6 pg/mg protein respectively, p=0.3). CONCLUSION: FF environment and biochemistry is vital for normal oocyte development. Our results demonstrate a tendency to a pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory environment in follicular fluid from smokers. Even though we did not reach a significant difference from the statistical standpoint, the pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant tendency found in smokers is solid and should be further evaluated. These findings point to the potential importance of the oxidant and anti-oxidant follicular imbalance that may affect reproductive outcome in smoking women.

Seminal plasma cotinine and insulin‐like growth factor‐I in idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermic smokers

To assess seminal plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels in cigarette smokers with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (iOAT). In all, 110 men were divided into fertile healthy non-smokers, fertile smokers, infertile non-smokers with iOAT and infertile smokers with iOAT. Semen was analysed, and seminal cotinine and seminal IGF-I levels estimated. There were significantly lower seminal IGF-I levels in the smokers and in men with iOAT than in controls, and in both iOAT groups. Smokers, either fertile or with iOAT had significantly lower levels than in controls in mean semen volume, sperm production index, percentage of motile sperms, rapid linear forward progressive motility, linear velocity and sperm normal forms. Smokers with iOAT had significantly lower levels than non-smokers with iOAT in mean sperm production index, rapid linear forward progressive motility and linear velocity. In smokers, seminal cotinine was significantly and negatively correlated with both seminal IGF-I and sperm motility, while seminal IGF-I was positively correlated with the percentage of motile spermatozoa. Smoking effects on sperm variables could be mediated by decreased seminal IGF-I.

Sperm head defects and disturbances in spermatozoal chromatin and DNA integrities in idiopathic infertile subjects: Association with cigarette smoking

Objectives To evaluate sperm chromatin and DNA integrities in idiopathic infertile men and determine the possible association(s) of cigarette smoking on oxidative stress markers, antioxidant capacity and semen quality. Subjects and methods Semen samples from men referring to the andrology laboratory were categorized into 3 groups: fertile non-smokers ( n = 16), infertile non-smokers ( n = 36), and infertile smokers ( n = 34). Semen analysis was performed according to WHO criteria. The percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation index (%DFI) and the percentage of sperm with abnormally high DNA stainability (HDS%; immature spermatozoa) were determined by SCSA using the metachromatic properties of acridine orange. Lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in seminal plasma and spermatozoa were measured by spectrophotometric assays. Results The classical semen parameters were negatively correlated with lipid peroxidation in spermatozoa; motility and morphology were negatively correlated with %DFI ( p < 0.05). HDS% was also negatively correlated with above markers except for morphology ( r = − 0.352, p = 0.081). DFI% and HDS% were significantly higher in the infertile smokers group than in infertile non-smokers ( p = 0.032; p = 0.001 respectively). Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with DFI%, HDS%, TBARS and the fraction of “round-headed” sperm ( r = 0.796, p = 0.0001; r = 0.371, p = 0.033; r = 0.606, r = 0.591, p = 0.001 respectively), and decreased SOD levels ( r = − 0.545). Conclusion DFI%, HDS% and round-head sperms are increased in idiopathic infertile men; this increase is associated with cigarette smoking. These defects may be attributed to increased oxidative stress and insufficient scavenging antioxidant enzymes in the seminal fluid of infertile patients.

Sperm DNA Integrity From Sperm to Egg

Sperm DNA Integrity From Sperm to Egg

Sperm selection by swim-up in terms of deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation as measured by the sperm chromatin dispersion test is altered in heavy smokers

Toxic habits and their relationship with male factor infertility have been a matter of investigation in recent years, and smoking is one of the most common lifestyle toxic exposures to harmful substances. The analysis of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation after capacitation detected a detrimental effect produced by tobacco, and this deleterious effect alters the sperm swim-up selection process in smokers, although the molecular and cellular basis of this phenomenon remain to be elucidated.

Effect of cigarette smoking on levels of seminal oxidative stress in infertile men: a prospective study

Objective: To investigate levels of seminal oxidative stress (OS) and sperm quality in a group of infertile men with a history of cigarette smoking. Design: A prospective clinical study. Setting: Male infertility clinic, Urological Institute, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. Patient(s): Infertile men who smoked cigarettes (n = 20), infertile men who were nonsmokers (n = 32), and healthy nonsmoking donors (n = 13). Intervention(s): Genital examination, standard semen analysis, sperm DNA damage. Main Outcome Measure(s): Levels of seminal reactive oxygen species (ROS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) measured by a chemiluminescence assay and seminal OS assessed by calculating a ROS-TAC score. Sperm DNA damage was measured by sperm chromatin structure assay. Result(s): Smoking was associated with a 48% increase in seminal leukocyte concentrations ( P<.0001), a 107% increase in ROS levels ( P=.001), and a 10-point decrease in ROS-TAC scores ( P=.003). Differences in standard sperm variables and DNA damage indices between the infertile smokers and infertile nonsmokers were not statistically significant. Conclusion(s): Infertile men who smoke cigarettes have higher levels of seminal OS than infertile nonsmokers. Given the potential adverse effects of seminal OS on fertility, physicians should advise infertile men who smoke cigarettes to quit.

Scoring sperm morphology from fertile and infertile cigarette smokers using the scanning electron microscope and image analysis

Image analysis was applied to photographs of sperm samples obtained using a scanning electron microscope. This technique is too time-consuming for routine use but could, if automated, provide an objective assessment of sperm morphology. In order to test the technique, sperm samples were evaluated from four groups of men: fertile and infertile smokers and fertile and infertile nonsmokers. There was a significant increase in the numbers of abnormalities in samples from infertile men. There was no association between the numbers of abnormal sperm and cigarette smoking.