Semen

About: Semen is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 14571 publications have been published within this topic receiving 407739 citations. The topic is also known as: come & ejaculate.

Seminal malondialdehyde concentration but not glutathione peroxidase activity is negatively correlated with seminal concentration and motility

Abstract: Objectives: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced lipid peroxidation is associated with sperm function. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity represent the lipid peroxidation and spermicidal antioxidant, respectively. We aimed to evaluate the relationship of MDA and GPx levels with sperm parameters. Patients and methods: Specimens were divided into two groups: group 1. normospermia (n=20); group 2. oligoasthenospermia (n=31). Seminal MDA concentration was measured by thiobarbituric acid reaction method. Seminal GPx activity was measured by oxidation of reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide. Seminal MDA levels and GPx activities in both groups were compared. Results: MDA concentrations in both groups were significantly different (1.52 ± 0.75 vs. 2.25 ± 0.88 nM, p = 0.0021). GPx activities in both groups were non-significantly different (0.48 ± 0.11 vs. 0.47 ± 0.12 U/ml). MDA levels were negatively correlated with the sperm motility (MDA = -0.014 x motility + 2.62, p =0.017) and concentration (MDA = -0.0045 x concentration + 2.23, p = 0.0166). GPx activities were positively but non-significantly correlated with the sperm concentration and sperm motility. Conclusions: Seminal MDA concentrations are negatively correlated with sperm concentration and motility, which might provide a simple and useful tool in predicting sperm parameters. GPx activity is non-significantly correlated with the seminal quality. Roles of seminal MDA upon spermatogenesis merits further surveys.

Has the fertility of Danish men declined through the years in terms of semen quality? A comparison of semen qualities between 1952 and 1972.

Abstract: The semen analysis of 1,077 men examined in 1952 was compared with the semen analysis of 1,000 men examined in 1972 in order to assess if fertility in Danish men has declined during the period. The men on both occasions were examined because of a fertility problem. In 1952 6.2% of the men had azoospermia compared with 3.9% in 1972 (P less than 0.05). Between 1952 and 1972 there was a fall in sperm count (P less than 0.01, median 73.4, and 54.5 mill/ml), a deterioration in spermatozoa motility (P less than 0.001), an increase in number of abnormal spermatozoa (P less than 0.01, median 26.0%, and 44.8%), and a deterioration in fertility class according to the Hammen system (P less than 0.001). Semen volume and number of immobile spermatozoa did not change. This study of Danish men, like studies from other industrialized countries, indicates a fall in semen quality and male fertility since the early fifties.

Seminal plasma as a diagnostic fluid for male reproductive system disorders

Abstract: Molecular biomarkers hold promise to advance the noninvasive diagnosis of male reproductive system disorders and facilitate the identification and management of these conditions through screening, early diagnosis and more accurate prognosis. Seminal plasma has great potential as a proximal fluid for protein biomarker discovery and as a clinical sample for noninvasive diagnostics. The seminal plasma proteome contains thousands of proteins and includes a large number of tissue-specific proteins that might accurately indicate a pathological process in the tissue of origin. Potential protein biomarkers for male reproductive system disorders are more abundant in seminal plasma than in blood serum or urine, and, therefore, are more easily identified and quantified in semen by mass spectrometry and other techniques. These methods have enabled elaboration of the composition of the seminal plasma proteome and the tissue specificity of seminal plasma proteins. Strategies have been developed to discover protein biomarkers in seminal plasma through integrated 'omics' approaches. Biomarkers of male infertility and prostate cancer are now emerging, and it is evident that seminal plasma has the potential to complement other diagnostic tools available in urology clinics.

The minimum effective spermatozoa : egg ratio for artificial insemination and the effects of mercury on sperm motility and fertilization ability in Clarias gariepinus

Abstract: The optimal ratio of spermatozoa : egg (15 000 : 1) for artificial insemination of African catfish Clarias gariepinus gave fertilization and hatching rates of 80 and 67%, respectively. Below a sperm : ova of 3000 : 1 fertilization success decreased significantly. Excessive sperm (>15 000 : 1) partly inhibited fertilization success. Sperm motility was decreased significantly by 0·001 mg 1−1 Hg2+ as HgCl2, but its effect on fertilization was dependent on the sperm : ova ratio, since excess sperm masked the effect of the pollutant. The most sensitive sperm : ova ratio for monitoring pollutant effects on fertilization success was 1500 : 1, which corresponds to half the minimal amount that yields a high fertilization rate in artificial insemination. There was a good correlation between fertilization and hatching rates (r=0·83; P<0·05). Although both fertilization and hatching rates provide equally good indicators of fertilization success, the more rapid fertilization rate test is recommended since it requires only 12 h.

Spontaneous DNA fragmentation in swim-up selected human spermatozoa during long term incubation.

Abstract: The origin and the meaning of DNA fragmentation in ejaculated human spermatozoa are not yet clear, although some hypotheses have been proposed. In the present study, we used investigated sperm DNA fragmentation by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated fluorescein-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-coupled flow cytometry to investigate DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa that were selected by the swim-up procedure and incubated long-term. In addition, using flow cytometry we detected annexin V binding assay and propidium iodide staining, and we also studied membrane phosphatidylserine translocation and the loss of membrane integrity in the same sperm populations that we used in the TUNEL investigation. We found that in vitro sperm DNA fragmentation 1) occurs after ejaculation under experimental conditions without the involvement of any external factor, 2) is not affected by treatment with the nuclease inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid, 3) is increased by treatment with the glutathione peroxidase inhibitor mercaptosuccinate, 4) correlates with basal values (ie, just after swim-up selection) of DNA fragmentation in teratozoospermic but not in normospermic semen samples, 5) develops in a sharply associated manner with the in vitro occurrence of sperm necrosis, and 6) is predicted by the basal value of annexin V binding in viable spermatozoa. These findings suggest an involvement of endogenously produced reactive oxygen species as the possible cause of in vitro sperm DNA fragmentation.