O ozônio diminui a qualidade do sêmen em pacientes com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico

Episodic ozone exposure in Long-Evans rats has limited effects on cauda sperm motility and non-coding RNA populations

Epidemiological evidence suggests the potential for air pollutants to induce male reproductive toxicity. In experimental studies, exposure to ozone during sensitive windows in the sperm lifecycle has been associated with impaired sperm motility. Subsequently, we sought to investigate the effects of episodic exposure to ozone during sperm maturation in the rat. Long-Evans rats were exposed to either filtered air or ozone (0.4 or 0.8 ppm) for five non-consecutive days over two weeks. Ozone exposure did not impact male reproductive organ weights or sperm motility ∼24 hours following the final exposure. Furthermore, circulating sex hormones remained unchanged despite increased T3 and T4 in the 0.8 ppm group. While there was indication of altered adrenergic signaling attributable to ozone exposure in the testis, there were minimal impacts on small non-coding RNAs detected in cauda sperm. Only two piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) were altered in the mature sperm of ozone-exposed rats (piR-rno-346434 and piR-rno-227431). Data across all rats were next analyzed to identify any non-coding RNAs that may be correlated with reduced sperm motility. A total of 7 microRNAs (miRNAs), 8 RNA fragments, and 1682 piRNAs correlated well with sperm motility. Utilizing our exposure paradigm herein, we were unable to substantiate the relationship between ozone exposure during maturation with sperm motility. However, these approaches served to identify a suite of non-coding RNAs that were associated with sperm motility in rats. With additional investigation, these RNAs may prove to have functional roles in the acquisition of motility or be unique biomarkers for male reproductive toxicity.

Association between exposure to ambient air pollution and semen quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence has linked exposure to ambient air pollution to a reduction in semen quality; however, the exposure-response associations are yet to be synthesized.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the exposure-response associations between air pollution and semen quality.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for relevant studies published before April 20, 2022. Studies investigating the exposure-response association of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ with semen quality written in English were included. Semen quality parameters included semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, total motility, progressive motility, and normal forms. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were performed to synthesize associations in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

The search returned 850 studies, 11 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. Each 10 μg/m³ increase of exposure to PM₁₀ and SO₂ was respectively associated with a 2.18 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.10 %-4.21 %) and 8.61 % (1.00 %-15.63 %) reduction in sperm concentration, and a 2.76 % (0.10 %-5.35 %) and 9.52 % (5.82 %-13.93 %) reduction in total sperm number. Each 10 μg/m³ increase of exposure to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ was respectively associated with a 1.06 % (95 % CI: 0.31 %-1.82 %) and 0.75 % (0.43 %-1.08 %) reduction in total motility, and a 0.55 % (0.09 %-1.01 %) and 0.31 % (0.06 %-0.56 %) reduction in progressive motility. No association was observed for PM_2.5 or PM₁₀ with semen volume; PM_2.5, NO₂, CO, or O₃ with sperm concentration or total sperm number; and gaseous air pollutants with total or progressive motility. The association between air pollution and normal forms was not summarized due to insufficient number of studies. No significant publication bias was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to ambient PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and SO₂ was inversely associated with sperm concentration, total sperm number, total motility, and/or progressive motility. Our findings add to the evidence that air pollution may lead to adverse effects on male reproductive system and suggest that reducing exposure to air pollution may help maintain better semen quality.

Sulfur dioxide may predominate in the adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on semen quality among the general population in Hefei, China

Previous studies have reported potential adverse effects of exposure to ambient air pollutants on semen quality in infertile men, but studies on the general population have been limited and inconsistent, and the pollutants that play a major role remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential association between exposure to six air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, SO₂, O₃ and CO) during different sperm development periods and semen quality among the general population, and to explore the interaction between different air pollutant exposures. We included 1515 semen samples collected from the Human Sperm Bank. We improved individuals' exposure level estimation by combining inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation with satellite remote sensing data. Multivariate linear regression models, restricted cubic spline functions and double-pollutant models were used to assess the relationship between exposure to six air pollutants and sperm volume, concentration, total sperm number and sperm motility. A negative association was found between SO₂ exposure and progressive motility and total motility during 0-90 lag days and 70-90 lag days, and SO₂ exposure during 10-14 lag days adversely affected sperm concentration and total sperm number. Sensitive analyses for qualified sperm donors and the double-pollutant models obtained similar results. Additionally, there were nonlinear relationships between exposure to PM, NO₂, O₃, CO and a few semen parameters, with NO₂ and O₃ exposure above the threshold showing negative correlations with total motility and progressive motility, respectively. Our study suggested that SO₂ may play a dominant role in the adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on semen quality in the general population by decreasing sperm motility, sperm concentration and total sperm number. Also, even SO₂ exposure lower than the recommended standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) could still cause male reproductive toxicity, which deserves attention.

Semen quality and sperm DNA methylation in relation to long-term exposure to air pollution in fertile men: A cross-sectional study

Some studies have examined the association between air pollution and semen quality. While it is less of evidence on the sperm quality after long-term air pollution exposure, especially the co-exposure of different air pollution components. Additionally, the role of DNA methylation in it hasn't been confirmed. This study aimed to investigate whether long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with semen quality, as well as to explore the effect of sperm DNA methylation in such association. From 2014 to 2016, 1607 fertile men were enrolled to evaluate 14 parameters of semen quality. Exposure window was defined as one-year before semen sampling. Multivariable linear regression and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression model were used to investigate the association between six air pollutants co-exposure and semen quality. Sensitivity analysis regarding at the normal semen quality group was also conducted. Semen samples were randomly selected from 200 participants to detect the genomic 5-methylcytosine (5 mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) levels in sperm. In the total population, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, and NO₂ were negatively associated with sperm total motility (PM₁₀: β = -2.67, P = 0.009; PM_2.5: β = -2.86, P = 0.004; SO₂: β = -2.32, P = 0.011; NO₂: β = -2.21, P = 0.012). Results of the normal semen quality group were consistent with those from the whole population. WQS regression results indicated significant decreasing sperm total motility after the co-exposure of the six air pollutants (β = -1.64, P = 0.003) in whole participants. Wherein, PM₁₀ accounted for largest proportion (43.4%). The 5-hmC level was positively associated with PM₁₀ exposure (β = 0.002, P < 0.001). Long-term exposure to PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, and NO₂, as well as co-exposure to six air pollutants, reduced semen quality in fertile men. As the most significant contributor of air pollutant, PM₁₀ exposure decreased sperm DNA methylation.

Ambient sulfur dioxide could have an impact on testicular volume from a observational study on a population of infertile male

Background

The effect of ambient pollutants on the male reproductive system is controversial. This retrospective study investigated the effect of environmental pollutants on male reproductive health.

Methods

Male patients with primary infertility (n = 282) were identified from a single center between January 2016 and December 2017. Patients were physically examined for the presence of varicocele and for the volume of both testicles. Semen quality was measured in terms of the total sperm count, sperm concentration, and the percentage of sperm cells with motility and normal morphology. Data were acquired on the concentration of ambient pollutants, namely particulate matters of diameter < 2.5 μm, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and ozone (O₃), measured on daily and hourly basis, from the Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan, Taiwan. Individual exposure to pollutants was estimated based on the reported residential address of each participant. Statistical analysis indicated the effect of each pollutant on the testicular volume, sex hormone profile, and semen parameters.

Results

The mean ± standard deviation of age was 36.7 ± 7.3 years. The average sperm count and concentration were 41.9 million/mL and 34.1 million/mL, respectively. The mean levels of serum testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone were 3.57 ± 1.68 ng/mL, 7.59 ± 6.3 IU/L, and 4.68 ± 3.49 IU/L, respectively. According to the multivariate linear regression model, NO_x exposure was a risk factor for decreased sperm concentration and motility (p = 0.043 and 0.032). Furthermore, SO₂ exposure was negatively associated and testicular volume (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

NO₂ and SO₂ exposure were negatively associated with the seminal parameter and decreased testicular volume, respectively, in a population of men with infertility. However, additional prospective studies are needed to ascertain the cause–effect relation of current results.

Sexual function and reproduction can be impaired in men with rheumatic diseases: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Information about the possible effect of rheumatic diseases on male sexual function and reproduction (sexual health) is scarce and difficult to summarize. Factors known to impair sexual health, such as inflammation, medication use and hypogonadism can be present in a significant proportion of male patients with rheumatic diseases.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of our study was to systematically review the literature for the influence of paternal rheumatic disease on sexual health, such as sexual function, reproductive hormones, male fertility, pregnancy and offspring outcomes.

DATA SOURCES

English language articles identified through Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Google Scholar and the Clinical trial registries of Europe and the USA published until February 2019.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Literature was synthesized in narrative form and in summary tables. Outcomes were categorized as: sexual function, reproductive hormones, fertility and pregnancy and offspring outcomes. Results are presented per category and per disease.

RESULTS

9735 articles were identified with our search strategy. After removal of duplicates, excluding articles by screening titles and abstracts and assessing eligibility by reading 289 fulltext articles, 87 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. All included studies enrolled patients diagnosed with a rheumatic disease and had results at least on one of the outcome categories. Sexual function was the most common category, followed by reproductive hormones, fertility and pregnancy and offspring outcomes. Sexual function is impaired in a high proportion of patients with rheumatic diseases. This was statistically significant in most of the studies where a control group was available. Clinically relevant abnormalities in reproductive hormones were mainly identified in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a positive correlation with disease activity were reported. Semen quality in men with rheumatic diseases can be impaired in patients with SLE, SpA, sarcoidosis, BD and MWS. Sperm count and motility were the most common semen quality parameters affected. No negative effect of paternal RA and vasculitis on pregnancy outcomes were reported in 3 studies. No studies reporting the effect of paternal disease on offspring outcomes were identified.

LIMITATIONS

Most of the studies included in this review suffer from an inconsistent methodological quality, definitions of outcomes varied in several studies, a wide variety of screening questionnaires and/or diagnostic tools were used and results might only apply to the specific populations that were studied.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review suggests that sexual health is impaired in men with rheumatic diseases. The degree and extent of sexual health impairment vary per disease. More research is needed to fully understand the link between rheumatic diseases and impaired male sexual health. Meanwhile, rheumatologists should be aware of this association and discuss it with their patients.

IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

Sexual health of men with rheumatic diseases can be impaired by the disease itself. Especially in men trying to conceive, information on sexual function, reproductive hormones and sperm quality are needed to identify these problems. Treatment resulting in lower disease activity can improve overall sexual health in man with rheumatic diseases and facilitate their journey to fatherhood.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018099845.

Identifying candidate genes associated with sperm morphology abnormalities using weighted single-step GWAS in a Duroc boar population

Artificial insemination (AI) has been used as a routine technology globally in the pig production industry since 1930. One of the preferable advantages of AI technology is that the semen of elite boars can be disseminated to the commercial sow population rapidly. Understanding the genetic background of semen traits may help in developing genetic improvement programs of boars by including these traits into the selection index. In this study, we utilized weighted single-step genome-wide association study (wssGWAS) to identify genetic regions and further candidate genes associated with sperm morphology abnormalities (proximal droplet, distal droplet, bent tail, coiled tail, and distal midpiece reflex) in a Duroc boar population. Several genomic regions explained 2.76%-9.22% of the genetic variances for sperm morphology abnormalities were identified. The first three detected QTL regions together explained about 7.65%-25.10% of the total genetic variances of the studied traits. Several genes were detected and considered as candidate genes for each of the traits under study: coiled tail, HOOK1, ARSA, SYCE3, SOD3, GMNN, RBPJ, STIL, and FGF1; bent tail, FGF1, ADIPOR1, ARPC5, FGFR3, PANX1, IZUMO1R, ANKRD49, and GAL; proximal droplet, NSF, WNT3, WNT9B, LYZL6, FGFR1OP, RNASET2, FYN, LRRC6, EPC1, DICER1, FNDC3A, and PFN1; distal droplet, ARSA, SYCE3, MOV10L1, CBR1, KDM6B, TP53, PTBP2, UBR7, KIF18A, ADAM15, FAAH, TEKT3, and SRD5A1; and distal midpiece reflex, OMA1, PFN1, PELP1, BMP2, GPR18, TM9SF2, and SPIN1. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed the potential function of the identified candidate genes in spermatogenesis, testis functioning, and boar spermatozoa plasma membrane activating and maintenance. In conclusion, we detected candidate genes associated with the coiled tail, bent tail, proximal droplet, distal droplet, and distal midpiece reflex in a Duroc boar population using wssGWAS. Overall, these novel results reflect the polygenic genetic architecture of the studied sperm morphology abnormality traits, which may provide knowledge for conducting genomic selection on these traits. The detected genetic regions can be used in developing trait-specific marker assisted selection models by assigning higher genetic variances to these regions.

Complete urological evaluation including sperm DNA fragmentation in male systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Objective

To evaluate sperm DNA fragmentation analysis in non-azoospermic male systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

Methods

Twenty-eight consecutive male SLE patients (American College of Rheumatology criteria) and 34 healthy controls were evaluated for demographic/exposures data, urological evaluation, hormone profile and sperm analysis (including sperm DNA fragmentation). Clinical features, disease activity/damage scores and treatment were also evaluated.

Results

The median age (33 (20–52) vs. 36.5 (25–54) years, P = 0.329) and frequency of varicocele (25% vs. 32%, P = 0.183) were similar in SLE patients and healthy controls. Sperm DNA fragmentation showed significantly higher levels of cells class III (44 (9–88) vs. 16.5 (0–80)%, P = 0.001) and cell class IV (10.5 (3–86) vs. 7 (0–36)%, P = 0.039) in SLE. The sperm DNA fragmentation index was also significantly higher in SLE patients (62 (31–97) vs. 25.5 (0–100)%, P < 0.001). Conventional sperm parameters (including sperm count, motility and morphology) were similar in both groups. In SLE patients no correlations were observed between sperm DNA fragmentation index and age, disease duration, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index scores, and cumulative dose of prednisone, hydroxychloroquine, intravenous cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil ( P > 0.05). Further analysis of SLE patients treated with and without intravenous cyclophosphamide showed that total sperm motility was significantly lower in the former group (64% (15–83) vs. 72% (57–86), P = 0.024). The sperm DNA fragmentation index was alike in both groups (52.5 (31–95) vs. 67.5 (34–97)%, P = 0.185).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that male non-azoospermic SLE patients have increased sperm DNA fragmentation without evident gonadal dysfunction. Intravenous cyclophosphamide does not seem to be a major determinant for this abnormality. Future prospective study is necessary to determine the impact of this alteration in these patients' fertility.

Risk Factors Associated with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Exposure to Cigarette Smoke and Air Pollution from Pregnancy to Disease Diagnosis

Objective.

To evaluate exposure to environmental factors inhaled during pregnancy and after birth until juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis among residents of a large city.

Methods.

This is an exploratory case-control study that consists of 66 patients with JIA and 124 healthy controls matched by age and sex, living in the São Paulo, Brazil, metropolitan area until JIA diagnosis, and whose mothers had resided in this region during pregnancy. A structured and reliable questionnaire (κ index for test-retest was 0.80) assessed demographic data, gestational and perinatal-related factors, and exposure to inhalable environmental elements during pregnancy and after birth (occupational exposure to inhalable particles and/or volatile vapor, exposure to cigarette smoke, and the presence of industrial activities or gas stations near the home, work, daycare, or school). Tropospheric pollutants included particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO).

Results.

During pregnancy, intrauterine cigarette smoke exposure (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.45–8.12, p = 0.005) and maternal occupational exposure (OR 13.69, 95% CI 4.4–42.3, p < 0.001) were significant independent risk factors for JIA diagnosis. In contrast, maternal employment (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.02–0.2, p < 0.001) and ideal maternal weight gain (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.2–0.8, p = 0.017) presented negative associations. Secondhand smoke exposure from birth to JIA diagnosis (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.8–7.3, p < 0.001) and exposure to O3during the second year of life (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.20–6.37, p = 0.017) were independent and significant risk factors for the pathogenesis of JIA.

Conclusion.

In our study, cigarette smoke exposure (intrauterine and after birth), exposure to O3in the second year of life, and maternal occupational exposure were identified as potential risk factors for JIA, warranting further study.

Inverse Association between Ambient Sulfur Dioxide Exposure and Semen Quality in Wuhan, China

Evidence concerning the association between ambient gaseous air pollutant exposures and semen quality is sparse, and findings in previous studies remain largely inconsistent. We enrolled 1759 men and performed 2184 semen examinations at a large reproductive medical center in Wuhan, China, between 2013 and 2015. Inverse distance weighting interpolation was performed to estimate individual exposures to SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ during the entire period (lag 0-90 days) and key periods (lag 0-9, 10-14, 70-90 days) of sperm development. Linear mixed models were used to analyze exposure-response relationships. SO₂ exposure with 0-90 days lag was significantly associated with monotonically decreased sperm concentration (β for each interquartile range increase of exposure: -0.14; 95% CI: -0.23, -0.05), sperm count (-0.21; -0.30, -0.12) and total motile sperm count (-0.16; -0.25, -0.08). Significant associations were observed for total and progressive motility only when SO₂ exposure was at the highest quintile (all P_trend < 0.05). Similar trends were observed for SO₂ exposure with 70-90 days lag. NO₂, CO, or O₃ exposure was not significantly associated with semen quality. Our results suggest that ambient SO₂ exposure adversely affects semen quality and highlight the potential to improve semen quality by reducing ambient SO₂ exposure during early stages of sperm development.