Percentage Of Progressive Motile Spermatozoa Research Articles

Association of abstinence time with semen quality and fertility outcomes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

Infertility affects 186 million people worldwide, with male factors contributing to 50% of infertility cases. Semen analysis is a key for diagnosing male factor infertility, but sperm parameters can be influenced by ejaculatory abstinence (EA) duration. Shortening or prolonging EA can impact on semen quality and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes, but the optimal EA duration remains unclear, particularly for infertility patients. This study conducts a comprehensive meta-analysis to explore the impact of varying abstinence durations on semen quality and fertility outcomes. Three English database (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) as well as four Chinese database (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals database, WanFang database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature database) were searched from 2000 to August 2023. The classical meta-analysis and "one-stage" dose-response meta-analysis were conducted to compare the associations of different abstinence durations (short-term abstinence vs. long-term abstinence) on semen quality in healthy adult and different type of infertile patients. There were 85 eligible studies were finally included. The meta-analysis of volume (mean difference [MD]=-0.95mL, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.16 to -0.74mL), total sperm count (TSC) (MD=-102.45×106 , 95% CI: -117.98×106 to -86.91×106 ), sperm concentration (SC) (MD=-11.88×106 /mL, 95% CI: -18.96×106 /mL to -4.80×106 /mL), DNA fragmentation index (DFI) (MD=-2.37%, 95% CI: -4.73% to -0.01%) in healthy men showed a significant decrease with different abstinence durations (short-term abstinence vs. long-term abstinence). The meta-analysis of infertile men showed significant decrease in volume in various subgroups (MD range: -0.73 to -1.17mL) with P<0.01; TSC (MD=-61.93×106 , 95% CI: -88.84×106 to -35.01×106 ), SC (MD=-5.39×106 /mL, 95% CI: -9.97×106 to -0.81×106 /mL), DFI (MD=-5.63%, 95% CI: -10.19% to -1.06%) in unexplained infertility subgroup; significant increase in viability (MD=6.14%, 95% CI: 3.61% to 8.68%) in the unexplained infertility subgroup. The dose-response meta-analysis showed that TSC in oligozoospermia showed a nonlinear increase (coefficient from 3.38 to -5.76, P from 0.02 to 0.22) and the truncation point was around the 4th to 5th abstinence day. The percentage of progressive motile sperm (PR) in asthenozoospermia showed a significant decrease (coefficient=-2.39, 95% CI: -4.28 to -0.50). For fertility outcomes of different ARTs, only the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) in the intrauterine insemination (IUI) subgroup showed a significant decrease around the 3rd day (coefficient=0.85, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.97). Short-term abstinence may be associated with limited improvements in semen quality in healthy men but could be more beneficial for infertile men, especially within the first 4 days of abstinence. Caution is urged in making definitive conclusions about the causal relationship between abstinence time and semen quality changes due to potential confounding and interactions.

P-098 Male age does not affect sperm motility rate after thawing and laboratory outcomes of transnational oocyte donation programs

Abstract Study question Can outcomes of transnational egg donation treatments, which involves the shipping of cryopreserved partner semen, be affected by advanced paternal age? Summary answer Male age does not affect percentage of motile spermatozoa after thawing. Advanced paternal age does not affect IVF laboratory outcomes of transnational egg donation treatments What is known already Studies on advanced paternal age are limited and a clear definition of advanced paternal age is still missing. The separation between advanced paternal and maternal age effects is hampered by the collinearity of maternal age with paternal age, since older males are often associated with older women. Many studies have focused on egg donation treatments, to overcome this problem. However, these studies reported conflicting results, such as a putative effect of advanced paternal age on ICSI outcomes, while some others not. This study analyzes paternal age in transnational egg donation program, which involves the shipping of cryopreserved partner semen Study design, size, duration A multicentric retrospective cohort study involving 101 couples and 327 blastocysts was performed from June 2018 up to December 2021. Two Italian IVF centers involved a Spanish center to perform a transnational fresh oocyte donation program. The aim of the study was to analyze the putative effect of male age on (i) semen parameters, (ii) fertilization rate and (iii) blastocyst rate. Participants/materials, setting, methods Donations of both male and female gametes were excluded. We performed sperm cryopreservation of the male partner of the recruited couples. Frozen samples were shipped with a authorized courier, which certified the safety of the whole procedure. The day of donor’s egg retrieval, semen samples were thawed and ICSI was performed on fresh donated oocytes. Resulted blastocysts were vitrified and shipped to the centers where the frozen embryo transfers in the recipient patients were performed. Main results and the role of chance The mean of male partners age was 42.6 ± 6.5 (min 26- max 63). Overall fertilization rate was 81.6% (686/840), and blastocyst rate was 47.6% (327/686). Male age was analyzed as a continuous variable and divided into five groups calculated for 5-year intervals. No differences in terms of fertilization rates nor blastocysts rates were found (85.3% and 43.7% for &amp;lt;35-years; 84.7% and 54.0% for 36-39-years; 79.7% and 44.2% for 40-44-years; 89.6 and 48.1% for 45-49-years; 74.5% and 56.5 for &amp;gt;50-years). Although advanced paternal age has been correlated to the decrease of most of sperm parameters, in the present study we found that only progressive rapid motility was significantly affected by advanced paternal age (coefficient -0.261 , P = 0.009). To evaluate the predictive value of advanced paternal age and sperm parameters on fertilization and blastocysts formation, we performed a multiple linear regression analysis. We found that sperm parameters and male age in our sample are not predictive of the number of fertilized oocytes nor the number of obtained blastocysts. Importantly for the setting of the study, the percentage of progressive motile sperm at the thawing was not influenced by paternal age. Limitations, reasons for caution The main limitation of the study is the small sample size, which might mask the paternal age effect on the sperm parameters, as the volume, which tend to decrease in the classes of age, but did not reached the statistical significance. The multicentric nature of the study represent a strength Wider implications of the findings The discomfort for couples that need oocyte donation in countries where there is a low availability of egg donors is often underestimated. This study demonstrate that, independently of male age, the shipping of frozen sperm and the ICSI of freshly donated oocytes represent a valid option for these couples. Trial registration number not applicable

Is There an Association Between Sperm Parameters and Sexual Orientation? A Cross Sectional Study

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether sexual orientation affects sperm parameters. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study using existing data from an academic reproductive centre for the period of April 01, 2009, to March 31, 2021. We compared the results of sperm analysis from male patients who were in same-sex relationships (study group) with those of men in heterosexual relationships who did not have male-factor infertility (control group). A subsequently comparison of both groups with World Health Organization (WHO) reference values was also performed. ResultsThirty-nine samples from the study group were compared with 494 samples from the control group. All parameters, apart from morphology, were comparable. The median sperm concentrations were 64 (interquartile range [IQR] 32.1–102.9) million/mL and 50.1 (IQR 25.3–92.5) million/mL in the study and control groups, respectively (P = 0.252), whereas the median percentage of progressive motile sperm was 50% (IQR 34–65) in the study group and 52% (IQR 33–65) in the control group (P = 0.198). The median percentage of morphologically normal sperm was higher in the control group than in the study group (6% vs. 5%; P = 0.019). However, no significant difference was found when sperm morphology was dichotomized with the cut-off of ≥4% (74.1% and 74.4%, respectively; P = 0.966). When compared with the WHO reference group, the percentage of men with total motile sperm counts ≥10 million and the percentage of men with normal morphology were significantly lower in both groups. ConclusionOur study suggests that there is no relationship between sexual orientation and sperm parameters.

The influence of semen collection frequency on deleterious the interaction between the enzymes of the bulbourethral gland and egg yolk during the dilution of buck semen

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of semen collection frequency at different protocols on deleterious the interaction between the enzymes of the bulbourethral gland and egg yolk during the dilution and of buck semen. Five bucks aged 2.5-3 years were included in this study. Four different protocols of semen collection frequency were applied; once a week, twice a week at an interval of two days, thrice a week at an interval of one day, and twice daily at an interval of one hour. Buck semen ejaculates were evaluated using computer assisted sperm analysis that includes the percentage of motile sperm (MS), percentage of progressive motile sperm (PMS), velocity curvilinear (VCL), velocity average path (VAP), velocity straight line (VSL), linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), wobble (WOB), amplitude of lateral head movement (ALH), and beat cross frequency (BCF). Results showed that sperm motility parameters had decreased significantly after dilution. Sperm motility parameters (VCL, VSL, VAP and ALH) of the second ejaculate were higher significantly (P<0.05) after dilution, when ejaculates collected twice and thrice a week and twice a day. Conversely, motility parameters of third ejaculates were less than those of first and second ejaculates when ejaculates collected thrice a week. In conclusion, there are effects of semen collection frequency on the ability of buck semen dilution, and the best results were when ejaculates had collected twice a day at an interval of one hour, accordingly we recommended this protocol for preparation of buck semen for artificial insemination.

Effect of pyruvate on human sperm &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt;

The study objective is to investigate the biological effect of energy substrate (pyruvate) on human sperm motility in vitro. Materials and methods . The study was conducted using human sperm from 14 ejaculate samples obtained by the standard method. Motility and viability were evaluated per the World Health Organization guidelines under 400x magnification. After dilution, 1 ml was sampled from the ejaculate for the experiment and control. The experiment consisted of addition of pyruvate to the test tube with the ejaculate in final concentration of 1 mmol. Results. The level of initial sperm motility corresponded to normozoospermia. The percentage of progressive motile sperm increased by 24, 67 and 84 % after 30, 60 and 120 min of the experiment. The percentage of non-progressive motile sperm and total percentage of motile sperm showed no significant change during this time period. The number of live spermatozoa showed no significant change during the experiment. Conclusion. The study showed that pyruvate can stimulate motility of human sperm in vitro.

Effect of supplementation of valine to chicken extender on sperm cryoresistance and post-thaw fertilization capacity

Recent reports showed a positive correlation between frozen–thawed rooster sperm DNA integrity and the concentrations of valine in seminal plasma. The present study evaluated the effect of supplementing valine to semen extender for freezing sperm of 2 endangered local Spanish chicken breeds with different sperm cryoresistance: Red Villafranquina (VF) showing low sperm DNA integrity after cryopreservation and Quail Castellana that shows higher DNA integrity. One pool of semen per breed was obtained twice a week for 10 wk (n = 40, 20 per breed). Each pool was divided into 2 fractions. One of these fractions was frozen in presence of valine as additive in the extender (concentration 10 mmol), whereas the other was used as control. The evaluation of the samples before and after freezing-thawing included motility (CASA-Mot system), viability (propidium iodide and SYBR-14), DNA integrity (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling), and fertility rate (percentage of eggs with blastoderm development after artificial insemination). Supplementation of valine increased several motility variables of fresh semen. In VF breed, valine increased percentage of progressive motile sperm (P = 0.025), curvilinear velocity (P = 0.033), straight-line velocity (P = 0.040), and average path velocity (P = 0.033), whereas progressive motile sperm (P = 0.019), curvilinear velocity (P = 0.006), straight-line velocity (P = 0.003) and average path velocity (P = 0.004) were improved in the Quail Castellana breed. Valine addition increased the DNA integrity of cryopreserved semen (decreased post-thaw DNA fragmentation) in both breeds, with a significant effect (P = 0.002) in VF (36.3% VF-control vs 31%VF-valine). As expected, Quail Castellana cryopreserved sperm control showed higher fertility rate (34.4% ± 12.1) than VF cryopreserved sperm control (16.1% + 6.2). Supplementing valine to the freezing extender doubled (P = 0.026) the fertility rate of VF (32.6% ± 12.2) compared with the control (16.1% + 6.2). In conclusion, supplementation of valine to chicken freezing extenders shows a positive effect on DNA fragmentation and fertilizing ability of frozen–thawed sperm, with a better response in a breed considered as the lowest freezer in our conservatory.

Comparison of the effectiveness of medications containing a combination of zinc and arginine for treatment of male infertility

The study objective is to perform clinical laboratory evaluation of the effectiveness of Prostatilen® AC and Arginine-zinc in treatment of patients with sperm pathology and concomitant varicocele and chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.Materials and methods. The study included 60 patients between 23 and 46 years of age. The first group included 30 patients (15 patients with varicocele and 15 patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis) who received Prostatilen® AC. The second group included 30 patients (15 patients with varicocele and 15 patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis) who received Arginine-zinc. Therapy duration was 20 days. Standard clinical and laboratory examination, spermiologic examination as well as measurement of antisperm antibodies, DNA fragmentation, oxidative stress level, cryotest, electron microscopy examination of the ejaculate were performed.Results. Five (5) days after the end of therapy, percentage of progressive motile sperm increased by 62 % in the Prostatilen® AC patient group with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (р &lt;0.001) compared to the baseline, and by only 10 % in the Arginine-zinc patient group. Administration of Prostatilen® AC lead to a more significant decrease of reactive oxygen intermediates in the ejaculate (р &lt;0.001) and percentage of sperm with fragmented DNA (р &lt;0.001) compared to administration of Arginine-zinc. The applied treatment schemes had no significant effect on the number of sperm with acrosomal hypoplasia. An anti-inflammatory effect of Prostatilen® AC was also identified (decreased number of leukocytes in sperm). During the study, 3 cases of adverse effects were registered: 1 after administration of Prostatilen® AC and 2 after administration of Arginine-zinc.Conclusion. Prostatilen® AC can be considered more effective and safer compared to Arginine-zinc for 20-day administration. In patients with sperm pathology, it more effectively improves sperm characteristics: increases sperm motility, sperm morphology, decreases DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress levels.

Combined treatment of oligoasthenospermia by postoperative Speroton therapy in patients with varicocele

The study objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Speroton complex therapy in combined treatment of oligoasthenospermia in patients with varicocele after microsurgical phlebectomy of varicose veins of the spermatic cord.Materials and methods. Microsurgical phlebectomy of the spermatic cord was performed in 40 men (mean age 33.0 ± 2.3 years) with oligoasthenospermia and varicocele. The patients were divided into 2 groups: the main group included 20 men who were treated with the Speroton complex for 3 months in the postoperative period, and the control group included 20 men who did not take Speroton. The spermogram parameters were evaluated before and after the operation.Results. Three months after the start of treatment, a statistically significant improvement in spermogram indicators was noted in all study groups. It was determined that combined therapy that included the Speroton complex administration for 3 months, statistically significantly led to the more considerable increase in sperm parameters than in control group: the sperm concentration increased to 38.6 and 28.9 mln/ml, respectively, the percentage of progressive motile sperm – to 49.2 and 39.4 %, the percentage of motile forms – to 72.2 and 43.8 %, viable forms – to 67.8 and 58.1 %, and the percentage of sperm with DNA fragmentation decreased to 12.1 and 17.2 %, respectively, in the main and control groups.Conclusion. Combined treatment with postoperative Speroton therapy for men of reproductive age with infertility and varicocele determines the more significant improvement in the parameters of sperm than performing only surgical correction of varicocele.

The experience of using the UltraFertile Plus micronutrient complex for correction of idiopathic forms of secretory infertility in men

The study objective is to evaluate the effect of the UltraFertile Plus micronutrient complex on parameters of the ejaculate in men with idiopathic infertility.Materials and methods. The study included 45 men aged between 24 and 48 years (median 31 years) suffering infertility in marriage. All patients took 2 capsules of UltraFertile Plus once a day in the morning at breakfast for 3 months. The patients didn’t receive any other therapy during the study. Hormonal status, spermogram parameters, MAR test, number of sperm with fragmented DNA using flow cytofluorometry with monoclonal antibodies were analyzed prior to treatment and after it.Results. After a course of UltraFertile Plus therapy, significant improvement of spermogram parameters was observed in the majority of patients. Sperm count increased from 43.5 to 62.0 million/ml (p &lt; 0.001), percent of progressive motile sperm (categories А and В) increased from 29.3 to 44.4 % (p &lt;0.001), normal morphology sperm count increased from 3.0 to 4.0 % (p &lt;0.001). Administration of UltraFertile Plus promoted a decrease in the number of sperm with fragmented DNA from 14.7 to 10.1 % (p = 0.001) and was effective for patients with this parameter below 22 %. No significant effect of UltraFertile Plus was observed in MAR test. Plasma total and free testosterone levels significantly increased as a result of administration of UltraFertile Plus.Conclusion. Administration of the UltraFertile Plus micronutrient complex promotes a decrease in sperm DNA fragmentation, an increase in sperm count, percentage of progressive motile sperm and normal morphology sperm, testosterone level.The authors declare no conflict of interest.All patients gave written informed consent to participate in the study.

Semen quality in hypogonadal acromegalic patients.

Growth hormone (GH) activity might be implicated in male reproductive function. One previous study has suggested significantly reduced semen quality in untreated acromegalic patients due to both reduced sperm counts and sperm motility. A retrospective study comprising ten uncontrolled hypogonadal acromegalic patients (median age 29years) who delivered semen for cryopreservation before initiation of testosterone therapy. Semen variables and hormone concentrations were compared to those of ten non-acromegalic hypogonadal men with pituitary disease (age 31years) and those of young healthy men. Acromegalic patients vs. non-acromegalic patients had a higher percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa (62 vs. 47%, p = 0.04). Eight of ten acromegalic patients and 82% of controls had total sperm counts above 39 million and progressive motile spermatozoa above 32% (p = 0.55), corresponding to the WHO 2010 reference levels for expected normal fertility for these variables. Non-acromegalic patients vs. healthy controls had reduced percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa (47 vs. 57%, p = 0.02) and only five of ten patients had semen quality above the WHO reference level, which was significantly lower than observed in healthy controls (p = 0.022). Total sperm counts were similar between both patient groups and controls. There were no differences in reproductive hormone levels between acromegalic patients vs. non-acromegalic patients (p-values between 0.10 and 0.61). Compared to healthy controls both patient groups had severely reduced serum testosterone, calculated free testosterone. Despite severe hypoandrogenism acromegalic patients had semen quality similar to healthy controls based on determination of the number of progressively motile spermatozoa. By contrast non-acromegalic pituitary patients had reduced sperm motility. Our data do not support reduced semen quality in acromegaly.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs) levels in spermatozoa of normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men

ABSTRACTInterest in the role of male factor in infertility continues to mount with defects related to sperm movement considered as one of the more severe forms of subfertility. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) primarily regulates the expression of target genes involved in energy control as well as lipid and glucose metabolism. Although the pivotal roles of these receptors on female fertility have been reported, there are limited studies addressing PPARs role(s) in the male. This study was designed to determine and compare PPARα, PPARβ and PPARγ mRNA expression in sperm cells of normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men. In addition, flow cytometric analyses, immunofluorescence and western blot were used to evaluate PPARγ protein levels in spermatozoa. We have compared the sperm PPARs mRNA relative expression in 27 normozoospermic and 28 asthenozoospermic samples and monitored sperm PPARγ protein levels in 39 normozoospermic and 40 asthenozoospermic samples using flow cytometry. We have also assessed in a sub-group of seven normozoospermic and eight asthenozoospermic samples, PPARγ protein levels by western blotting. Relative expression of PPARγ mRNA in normozoospermic men was found to be significantly higher (P = 0.004) than in asthenozoospermic men while PPARα and PPARβ relative expression was similar in the two groups. Likewise, PPARγ showed a positive correlation with motility (r = 0.34; P < 0.05), sperm concentration (r = 0.33) and the percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa (r = 0.31). In agreement with the mRNA behavior, sperm PPARγ protein levels as measured by flow cytometry (P = 0.066) and western blot (P = 0.089) showed a tendency to be higher in normozoospermic than asthenozoospermic men. The present study proposes a link between PPARγ gene expression level and motility in human sperm.Abbreviations: PPARs: Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors; CASA: Computer Assisted Semen Analysis; TFA: Trans Fatty Acids; HTF: Human Tubal Fluid; PBS: Phosphate-Buffered Saline; PPP: Pentose Phosphate Pathway; PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase; G6PDH: Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Quality of frozen semen of Brahman bulls used for routine artificial insemination in Bangladesh

Background: Semen must be of good quality to achieve satisfactory conception rate in any artificial insemination (AI) programme. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the quality of frozen semen of Brahman bulls and compare the same semen derived from different sources. Methods: Fifteen frozen semen straws of Brahman bulls derived from 3 different sources (5 straws from each source) were evaluated with respect to volume, motility, concentration of spermatozoa and morphology of spermatozoa. Volume of semen was determined by micropipette, concentration was evaluated by haemocytometer technique, motility and progressive motility were evaluated by computer assisted sperm analyser (CASA), spermatozoa with normal acrosome, midpiece and tail were evaluated in formol-saline fixed semen and spermatozoa with normal head morphology were evaluated by Farley staining technique. Moreover, presence or absence of bacteria in semen was evaluated by Gram’s staining technique. Results: The overall semen volume, concentration, motile percentage, progressive motile percentage, percentage of spermatozoa with normal acrosome, midpiece and tail, and percentage of normal head morphology were 0.19±0.01 ml, 30.87±3.4x106/ml, 56.47±24.2 (%), 16.23±9.8 (%), 88.23±2.1 (%) and 95.1±1.6 (%), respectively. When compared, similar volume of semen (0.19 ml) was found in all frozen semen derived from different sources. The difference in percentage of motile spermatozoa between source B and C was significant (P&lt;0.05). The difference in spermatozoa with normal acrosome, midpiece and tail in semen between source A and B was significant (P&lt;0.05). The difference in the percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa, the concentration of spermatozoa and normal head morphology in semen among different sources of semen was not significant (P&gt;0.05). The difference in percentage of motile spermatozoa, the percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa, the concentration of spermatozoa, normal acrosome, midpiece and tail, normal head morphology in semen between locally produced and foreign semen was not significant (P&gt;0.05). All examined 15 semen samples were negative for presence of bacteria. Conclusions: Although the quality of frozen semen derived from Brahman bulls seems to be within normal limit, the post-AI conception rate should be determined to evaluate the fertilizing capacity of the used semen.

Negative effect of antiretroviral therapy on spermogram values in HIV-positive men

The study objective is to analyze spermogram values in HIV-positive men receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Materials and methods . The prospective case-controlled study included 115 men: the main group consisted of 51 patients with HIV, control group consisted of 64 patients with negative serological test for HIV and normal spermogram values. In total, 97 and 111 sperm samples were analyzed. HIV status was evaluated based on disease stage and phase, viral load, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ lymphocyte counts and ART duration. Results. History of HIV varied between 2 and 9 years (median 5 years). All patients were receiving ART. Median duration of drug administration was 1.5years. In 48.4 % of HIV-positive patients, normozoospermia was observed. In the structure of pathological zoospermia, teratozoospermia was the most prevalent (40 %), and the percentage of pathological forms of spermatozoa in HIV-positive men was significantly higher than in HIV-negative men (97 (96—98) and 96 (95—96) %, р = 0.0001, respectively). Ejaculate volume (2.7 (2.0—3.4) and 3.1 (2.3—4.0) ml, р = 0.003), total count (89.1 (47.3—153.0) and 198.8 (138.5—272.8) million, р = 0.0001), concentration (36 (21—52) and 63.5 (46—91) million/ml, р = 0.0001), percentage of progressive motile (40 (31—53) and 55 (48.7—62.2) %, р = 0.0001) and viable sperm (78 (71.5—81.0) and 84 (82—87) %, р = 0.0001) were significantly lower, and the number of immotile forms (50 (39—55.5) and 38 (31.7—42.2) %, р = 0.0001) significantly higher in HIV-positive patients than in men without HIV. Negative correlations between the number of abnormal spermatozoa and CD4+ lymphocyte count (r = —0.362, р = 0.026), disease duration and sperm concentration (r = —0.242, р = 0.020), percentage of progressive motile sperm (grade B) and disease duration (r = —0.241, р = 0.024) were established. ART duration negatively correlated with the percentage of progressive motile sperm (grade B) (r = —0.224, р = 0.036). Percentage of sperm with fragmented DNA was significantly higher in HIV-positive patients compared to HIV-negative men (15.8 (12.4—23.0) and 9.95 (7.3— 12.4) %, р = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion. In HIV-positive patients receiving ART, sperm DNA fragmentation and the number of pathological forms are increased. Percentage of abnormal forms is higher for lower CD4+ lymphocyte counts. Sperm concentration decreases, and percentage of immobile forms increases with duration of HIV infection. ART negatively affects sperm motility.

The influence of BESTFertil towards male reproductive function in idiopathic fertility

The study objectiveis to evaluate the influence of complex BESTFertil on the fertility in men with idiopathic pathospermia.Materials and methods. Ninety males (from 25 to 45years old) took part in the open prospective controlled study: 60 males with idiopathic fertility were given BESTFertil (2 caps “Morning” and 2 caps “Evening” per day for the period of 3 month). Other 30 males belong to controls. The efficacy of therapeutics was evaluated according to spermatogram analysis (volume of ejaculate, sperm concentration, percentage of progressive-motile sperm (grade A + B), and percentage of degenerated forms).Results.After 3 month of treatment the ejaculate volume increased to 1,7 time, and exceeded controls up. The sperm concentration increased to 33 % (before treatment) and exceeded controls to 39 %. The percentage of progressive-motile sperm (grade A + B) was 6 times more as it was before treatment, and 89,8 % as compare to the controls. The percentage of degenerated forms of spermatozoids decreased to 32,3 % (before treatment) and was 2,9 % less then in the control group.Conclusions. Administration of BESTFertil in treatment plan of male idiopathic fertility may consider to be a promising type of therapy, which increased the records of spermatogram and promotes conception among the married couples.

Oligoelementos en la dieta y calidad seminal y niveles de hormonas reproductivas en varones jóvenes: relación con la fertilidad

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to study the associations between dietary intake of trace elements and semen quality and reproductive hormones levels in young men. Material and methodThis is a cross-sectional study in healthy male university students (n=209) recruited in Murcia Region (Spain) between 2010 and 2011. Dietary intake of trace elements (iron, iodine and cinc) was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Semen analysis (sperm concentration, motility and morphology) was carried out according to World Health Organization guidelines. Serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones and testosterone were also determined. Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-squared tests were used in bivariate analysis and multiple lineal regression was used to adjust for significant covariates. ResultsA statistically significant inverse association between dietary intake of iron and sperm concentration (P, trend=0.01) and the percentage of progressive motile sperm (P, trend=0.004) were observed. No other significant associations for the remaining sperm parameters or reproductive hormones were detected. ConclusionsOur results show that high levels of iron may be associated with reduced sperm concentration and motility in young men. However, further studies are needed, particularly in other male populations consulting for infertility problems.

Prolonged exposure of dietary phytoestrogens on semen characteristics and reproductive performance of rabbit bucks

The effects of inclusion of different sources of dietary phytoestrogens on antioxidant capacity, hormonal balance, libido, semen quality, and fertility of rabbit bucks were studied. Twenty-one, adult, fertile, V-line bucks were randomly allocated into 3 homogenous groups (n = 7/treatment) and received control diet (phytoestrogens-free diet, CON) or soybean meal isoflavones–containing diet (SMI) or linseed meal lignans–containing diet (LML) for 12 wk. The diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. The concentrations of isoflavones in the SMI diet were 24.04 mg/100 g dry matter (DM) daidzein and 13.10 mg/100 g DM genistein. The major phytoestrogen detected in the LML diet was secoisolariciresinol (36.80 mg/100 g DM). Treatment had no effects on body weight, feed intake and rectal temperature of bucks. Compared with control, bucks fed the SMI and LML diets had higher (P < 0.001) blood plasma total antioxidant capacity (0.98 ± 0.12, 1.50 ± 0.13, and 2.29 ± 0.17 mM/L for CON, SMI, and LML, respectively), and lower (P < 0.01) blood plasma malondialdehyde (2.76 ± 0.23, 1.76 ± 0.16, and 1.70 ± 0.18 nmol/mL for CON, SMI, and LML, respectively), whereas activities of reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes were not affected. Bucks fed the SMI and LML diets had greater (P < 0.001) concentrations of blood plasma triiodothyronine. Feeding the SMI and LML diets decreased (P < 0.01) libido (8.26 ± 0.71, 12.18 ± 0.97, and 14.12 ± 1.12 s for CON, SMI, and LML, respectively), sperm concentration (327.7 ± 21.6, 265.8 ± 36.8, and 226.5 ± 20.1 × 106/mL for CON, SMI, and LML, respectively), testosterone (5.16 ± 0.95, 3.91 ± 0.63, and 3.04 ± 0.92 ng/mL for CON, SMI, and LML, respectively), and seminal plasma fructose compared with the CON diet. The percentage of progressive motile sperm was improved (P < 0.001) by both phytoestrogen-containing diets. Feeding the SMI diet increased (P = 0.02) the percentage of live sperm compared with CON, whereas LML resulted in an intermediate value. Dietary treatment of bucks did not affect kindling rates or litter sizes of does, and did not affect birth weights or viabilities of kits. In conclusion, prolonged consumption of dietary isoflavones or lignans did not impair semen fertilizability. This may be due to the benefits of antioxidant activity or due to the benefits of other components in the diet. Dietary phytoestrogens did evoke obvious decreases in libido and steroidogenesis with altered semen parameters.

The influence of macro- and microelements in seminal plasma on diluted boar sperm quality

BackgroundGrowing evidence indicates that macro- and microelements in the seminal plasma of humans and various domestic animals are of great importance due to their roles in sperm metabolism, function, survival and oxidative stress. In the present study, we therefore determined the concentrations of macro- and microelements in fresh boar seminal plasma and their relation to sperm quality parameters after 3 days of liquid storage was assessed. Twenty ejaculates from eight boars were collected, and semen volume, concentration, sperm motility, morphology, tail membrane integrity, plasma membrane permeability, mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA fragmentation were determined on the day of collection (day 0) and day 3 (72 h) of storage at 15–17 °C. Seminal plasma was separated and the concentrations of macroelements (Na, K, Ca, and Mg) and microelements (Cu, Fe, Zn and Se) were determined.ResultsAfter 3 days of storage Se levels correlated significantly with sperm motility, progressive motility and morphology, all of which are routinely used for semen evaluation. On day 3, Se levels also correlated with tail membrane integrity, viability and intact DNA (P < 0.05). The correlation coefficients showed that mitochondrial function was better preserved at higher levels of Zn, while higher levels of Cu decreased mitochondrial function, but led to the better preservation of DNA. It was also evident that higher levels of Fe were associated with higher proportions of live spermatozoa and of spermatozoa with normal morphology after 3 days of storage (P < 0.05), while higher levels of Ca and Mg in fresh seminal plasma were associated with lower percentages of progressive motile spermatozoa and with a decreased proportion of spermatozoa with intact DNA (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis including microelements showed that Se significantly affected sperm quality parameters, mentioned above, after 3 days of storage.ConclusionsMacro- and microelements were associated with boar sperm quality and may be important biomarkers of boar sperm quality after liquid storage. Our results demonstrate that the evaluation of Se in fresh boar seminal plasma can serve as an additional tool in predicting sperm quality after storage.

Phenotypic Correlations of Testes Size with Semen Traits and the Productive Traits of Young Boars.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship of young boar testes size with semen traits and with productive traits. The dimensions (length, width and volume) of each testis and semen traits (semen volume, percentage of sperm with progressive motility, sperm concentration, total number of sperm in semen, percentage of sperm with normal acrosome, percentage of sperm with major and minor morphological defects, osmotic resistance test value and activity of aspartate aminotransferase in seminal plasma) were determined on 120 young boars aged 6 months. At 180 day of age, the boars backfat thickness and leanness (by ultrasonic apparatus) and body weight were also measured. The average daily gain was determined in the period from 70 to 180 days of age of the boars. The results showed that the sperm concentration, total number of sperm in semen and percentage of progressive motile sperm were a significantly positively correlated with width and volume of the left (p ≤ 0.01) and right testis (p ≤ 0.05) and with total volume of both testes (p ≤ 0.01). But the highest values of correlation coefficients were found between the width of the left testis and sperm concentration, total number of sperm in semen and percentage of progressive motile sperm. A correlations of dimensions (length and width) and volume of testes with other semen traits were very low and statistically non-significant. The volume of testes (left and right testis and total testes) was significantly positively correlated with body weight at 180 days of age and daily gain (p ≤ 0.01), but lower correlation coefficient was between left testis and daily gain (p ≤ 0.05), whereas correlations were low and non-significant with leanness and backfat thickness.

Apoptotic-like changes of boar spermatozoa in freezing media supplemented with different antioxidants.

This study evaluated the effect of supplementing the freezing extender with exogenous anti-oxidants on apoptotic-like changes in post-thaw boar spermatozoa. A total of 36 ejaculates were resuspended in standard lactose-egg yolk-glycerol extender supplemented with antioxidant to final concentrations of 0 (as control), 2.5mM GSH (group I), 5.0 mM GSH (group II), 150 IU/mL SOD (group III), 300 IU/mL SOD (group IV), 200 IU/mL CAT (group V), 400 IU/mL CAT (group VI), 150 IU/mL SOD+200 IU/mL CAT (group VII), 300 IU/mL SOD+400 IU/mL CAT (group VIII). Sperm motility and apoptotic-like changes were determined before and after freeze-thawing. The various markers of apoptotic-like changes were measured: plasma membrane permeability by YO-PRO-1/PI assay, phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation across the plasma membrane using fluorescein-labeled Annexin-V, mitochondrial transmembrane potential detected by JC-1, and DNA fragmentation evaluated by TUNEL assay. The highest percentage of progressive motile sperm was noticed in group II (PM% 64.2±15.4) compared with control (PM% 36.8±5.5). The supplementation of 400 IU/mL CAT (group VI) revealed significant (P<0.01) reduction of apoptotic-like changes (YO-PRO-1+/PI-: 13.1±7.5%, AnV+/PI-: 9.9±4.1%) in frozen-thawed spermatozoa compared with extender supplemented with 200 IU/mL CAT (group V). Irrespective of the concentration used, SOD and CAT in combination (group VII and group VIII) significantly (P<0.01) improved post-thaw sperm survival compared with the control. Evaluation by TUNEL assay revealed that cryopreservation and thawing did not induce DNA fragmentation in boar spermatozoa.

No association between body mass index and sperm DNA integrity.

Is overweight associated with impaired sperm DNA integrity? High body mass index (BMI) is not associated with impaired sperm DNA integrity as assessed by the DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI). Previous studies, based on fewer subjects and including mainly subfertile men, have shown conflicting results regarding the influence of overweight and obesity on sperm DNA integrity. This cross-sectional study was based on semen samples from 1503 men from the general population. We included two cohorts (cohort A and B) of military recruits (n = 275, n = 304, respectively), one group (cohort C) of fertile men and men without known fertility problems (n = 724), and one group (cohort D) of men between 19 and 40 years without known fertility problems (n = 200). In all cohorts, data were available on BMI, DFI as measured by the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), standard semen characteristics, and potential confounders (age, abstinence time, smoking habits). The subjects were categorized according to BMI into four groups: underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (≥30.0 kg/m(2)). Using a linear regression model, the inter-group differences in DFI were calculated. Furthermore with the normal-weight group as the reference, the odds ratios (ORs) for DFI > 20% and DFI > 30%, were calculated for the other groups. Calculations were made for the material as a whole and after exclusion of cohort C which included proven fertile men. We found that normal-weight men had significantly higher DFI than overweight men, with a mean difference of 1.13% (95% CI: 1.05-1.22%); P = 0.001). Overweight men had a reduced risk of having DFI ≥ 20% and DFI ≥ 30%, compared with normal-weight men; adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.61 (95% CI: 0.42-0.88; P < 0.01) and adjusted OR = 0.48 (95% CI: 0.28-0.84; P < 0.01), respectively. When excluding cohort C, the statistical significance was lost. Regarding standard semen parameters, we found that obese men had a higher percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa than normal-weight men; mean difference 1.15% (95% CI: 1.02-1.30%, P < 0.05) but the significance was lost when excluding cohort C. All other standard semen parameters were unaffected by BMI. A main limitation might be the cross-sectional nature of the data. Furthermore our study included a significant proportion of men with proven fertility (75% of cohort C, n = 550), and could therefore be biased toward fertility. Our study indicates that overweight per se is not associated with a higher level of sperm DNA damage. This research has been given grants from the following: EU 5th and 7th framework program (Inuendo and Clear projects, [Contracts no. QLK4-CT-2001-00202 and FP7-ENV-2008-1-226217)]), the Swedish Research Council (Grants No. 2007-2590, 521-2004-6072 and 521-2002-3907); the Swedish Governmental Funding for Clinical Research, Skåne county council's research and development foundation, MAS Funds, University Hospital MAS Foundation in Malmö, Crafoordska Fund, Ove Tulefjords Fund, Foundation for Urological Research, Fundacion Federico SA, and Gunnar Nilssons Cancer Fund. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.