TY - JOUR
T1 - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the outcome of diagnostic tests of sperm function
AU - Whittington, Kate
AU - Harrison, Shona C.
AU - Williams, Kate M.
AU - Day, Joanne L.
AU - McLaughlin, Eileen A.
AU - Hull, Michael G.R.
AU - Ford, W. Christopher L.
PY - 1999/8
Y1 - 1999/8
N2 -
Washed sperm suspensions from 64 out of 89 (72%) randomly selected infertility patients produced detectable reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to 17 out of 67 (25%) prospective semen donors (p < 0.01, Chi-square test). Among patients, the median sperm concentration in ejaculates which yielded sperm suspensions that generated detectable levels of ROS was lower than in those which did not: 36.2 (15.63-57.64) vs. 71.5 (22-108) x 10
6
/mL, respectively (median (interquartile range), p < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test). In samples that produced ROS, the basal rate of production and the rates after stimulation with 50 μmol N-formyl met leu phe (N-FMLP) l
-1
or with 100 nmol phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) l
-1
were significantly and inversely correlated with sperm concentration in the ejaculate (r = -0.43, -0.41 and -0.35, respectively, p < 0.01 Spearman's rank correlation). The rate of ROS production showed no relationship to the motility of spermatozoa in semen, whether evaluated visually or via computer assisted semen analysis. However, there was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.370) between the motile, normal sperm concentration (MNSC) and basal ROS production, and when stimulated with N-FMLP (r = -0.311) or with PMA (r = -0.249) (all p < 0.05). In patient samples that generated detectable ROS, the ability of the spermatozoa to retain motility for 24 h after preparation on a 40/80% Percoll gradient was negatively correlated with basal ROS production (r = -0.310, p < 0.05). ROS production was also related to the outcome of in vitro sperm mucus penetration tests. Unstimulated levels of ROS production showed a significant (p < (0.05), negative correlation with the number of progressively motile spermatozoa present in mucus after 15 (r = -0.379) and 60 (r = -0.362) min. These results suggest that sperm samples with increased ROS tend to have poor semen quality and reduced performance in a number of routine, diagnostic sperm function tests.
AB -
Washed sperm suspensions from 64 out of 89 (72%) randomly selected infertility patients produced detectable reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to 17 out of 67 (25%) prospective semen donors (p < 0.01, Chi-square test). Among patients, the median sperm concentration in ejaculates which yielded sperm suspensions that generated detectable levels of ROS was lower than in those which did not: 36.2 (15.63-57.64) vs. 71.5 (22-108) x 10
6
/mL, respectively (median (interquartile range), p < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test). In samples that produced ROS, the basal rate of production and the rates after stimulation with 50 μmol N-formyl met leu phe (N-FMLP) l
-1
or with 100 nmol phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) l
-1
were significantly and inversely correlated with sperm concentration in the ejaculate (r = -0.43, -0.41 and -0.35, respectively, p < 0.01 Spearman's rank correlation). The rate of ROS production showed no relationship to the motility of spermatozoa in semen, whether evaluated visually or via computer assisted semen analysis. However, there was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.370) between the motile, normal sperm concentration (MNSC) and basal ROS production, and when stimulated with N-FMLP (r = -0.311) or with PMA (r = -0.249) (all p < 0.05). In patient samples that generated detectable ROS, the ability of the spermatozoa to retain motility for 24 h after preparation on a 40/80% Percoll gradient was negatively correlated with basal ROS production (r = -0.310, p < 0.05). ROS production was also related to the outcome of in vitro sperm mucus penetration tests. Unstimulated levels of ROS production showed a significant (p < (0.05), negative correlation with the number of progressively motile spermatozoa present in mucus after 15 (r = -0.379) and 60 (r = -0.362) min. These results suggest that sperm samples with increased ROS tend to have poor semen quality and reduced performance in a number of routine, diagnostic sperm function tests.
KW - Human spermatozoa
KW - ROS
KW - Semen analysis
KW - Sperm-mucus interaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032797677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-2605.1999.00174.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-2605.1999.00174.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 10442296
AN - SCOPUS:0032797677
SN - 0105-6263
VL - 22
SP - 236
EP - 242
JO - International Journal of Andrology
JF - International Journal of Andrology
IS - 4
ER -
