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Calamai C, Ammar O, Marchiani S, Degl'Innocenti S, Fino M, Righi L, Dabizzi S, Maggi M, Baldi E, Vignozzi L, Muratori M. Decrease of air pollution during lockdown in Tuscany (Italy): An effect on sperm DNA fragmentation? ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2023; 64:148-158. [PMID: 36719109 DOI: 10.1002/em.22530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In March 2020, the Italian government imposed a national lockdown which was almost completely removed in June 2020. Due to the abrupt stop of human activities, emissions of air pollutants decreased. Air pollution is an environmental risk factor for noncommunicable disease and mortality. Emerging evidence also suggests a role in male infertility. In this study, we compared sperm DNA fragmentation (sDF) levels and conventional semen parameters between subjects undergoing sDF determination and routine semen analysis in a single Italian centre, during about 6 months before (N = 119) and after lockdown (N = 105). After lockdown, we found an improvement of sperm progressive motility (48.00[38.50-58.00]% vs. 42.00[33.00-53.00]%) and sDF levels (as total: 24.79[18.33-33.97]% vs. 35.02[25.04-45.73]%, p < .001; brighter: 14.02[10.69-17.93]% vs 18.54[13.58-25.82]%, p < .001 and dimmer sDF: 9.24[5.64-15.78]% vs. 12.24[8.08-19.10]%, p < .01), mirrored by a decrease of leukocyte semen concentration (p < .01). The improvement of sperm motility and DNA quality was maintained after adjusting for leukocyte concentration and several conditions known to affect sperm motility and/or sDF levels. With a significant decrease in air pollution observed in Tuscany during and after lockdown, associated improvement in sperm motility and DNA quality in patients referred to the infertility clinic is suggestive of the potential role of air pollution in male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Calamai
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Oumaima Ammar
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Marchiani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Selene Degl'Innocenti
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Marisa Fino
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Sara Dabizzi
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Mario Maggi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Baldi
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Linda Vignozzi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Incongruence Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Monica Muratori
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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Gill K, Machalowski T, Harasny P, Kups M, Grabowska M, Duchnik E, Sipak O, Fraczek M, Kurpisz M, Kurzawa R, Piasecka M. Male Infertility Coexists with Decreased Sperm Genomic Integrity and Oxidative Stress in Semen Irrespective of Leukocytospermia. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:1987. [PMID: 36290709 PMCID: PMC9598546 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11101987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Our research was designed to verify the relationship between male infertility, basic semen characteristics (with respect to detailed sperm morphology), sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), oxidation-reduction potential in semen (ORP), and leukocytospermia. The obtained results showed that infertile groups (with or without leukocytospermia) had significantly lower basic semen characteristics and higher SDF, raw ORP, and static ORP (sORP) than fertile controls. The thresholds of 13% SDF (AUC = 0.733) and 1.40 sORP (AUC = 0.857) were predictive values for discriminating infertile from fertile men. In infertile groups, a higher prevalence and risk for >13% SDF and >1.40 sORP were revealed. Unexpectedly, leukocytospermic subjects had lower sORP, prevalence, and risk for >1.40 sORP than leukocytospermic-negative men. These groups did not differ in SDF and raw ORP. Both SDF and sORP negatively correlated with basic semen parameters but positively correlated with sperm head and midpiece defects. sORP positively correlated with sperm tail defects, immature sperm cells with excess residual cytoplasm, and SDF. In turn, raw ORP negatively correlated with sperm count but positively correlated with SDF and sORP. These findings indicate that (1) there is a relationship between male infertility, SDF, and OS in semen; (2) in infertile men, there is a clinically significant risk of SDF and OS irrespective of leukocytospermia; and (3) the assessment of SDF and oxidative stress should be independent of leukocytospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Gill
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Tomasz Machalowski
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
- Department of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Pomeranian Medical University, 72-010 Police, Poland
| | - Patryk Harasny
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
- Department of Urology and Urological Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Michal Kups
- Department of Urology and Oncological Urology, Regional Specialist Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
- The Fertility Partnership Vitrolive in Szczecin, 70-483 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Marta Grabowska
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Ewa Duchnik
- Department of Aesthetic Dermatology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Olimpia Sipak
- Department of Obstetrics and Pathology of Pregnancy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Monika Fraczek
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Maciej Kurpisz
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Rafal Kurzawa
- The Fertility Partnership Vitrolive in Szczecin, 70-483 Szczecin, Poland
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Piasecka
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
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Kups M, Gill K, Rosiak-Gill A, Harasny P, Machalowski T, Grabowska M, Kurzawa R, Sipak O, Piasecka M. Evaluation of selected semen parameters and biomarkers of male infertility - preliminary study. F1000Res 2022; 11:591. [PMID: 38434001 PMCID: PMC10905134 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.121622.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Because the etiopathogenesis of male infertility is multifactorial our study was designed to clarify the relationship between standard semen parameters, testicular volume, levels of reproductive hormones and the fragmentation of sperm nuclear DNA (SDF). Methods: Patients (n = 130) were clustered as subjects: 1) with an abnormal volume (utrasonography) of at least one testis (<12 mL) or with a normal volume of testes and 2) with abnormal levels of at least one of the reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, PRL, TSH, total T - electrochemiluminescence method) or with normal hormonal profiles and 3) with high level of SDF (>30%), moderate (>15-30%) or low (≤15%) (sperm chromatin dispersion test). Results: In subjects with a decreased testicular volume and in subjects with abnormal levels of reproductive hormones, decreased basic semen parameters were found. Participants with abnormal testicular volume had a higher percentage of SDF and a higher level of FSH (Mann-Whitney U test). In turn, men with a high level of SDF had lower testicular volume and conventional sperm parameters than men with a low level of SDF (Kruskal-Wallis test). Conclusions: We showed that spermatogenesis disorders coexisted with decreased testicular volume and increased FSH levels. The disorders of spermatogenesis were manifested by reduced basic sperm characteristics and a high level of sperm nuclear DNA damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Kups
- The Fertility Partnership Vitrolive in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 70-483, Poland
- Department of Urology and Oncological Urology, Regional Specialist Hospital in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-455, Poland
| | - Kamil Gill
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Rosiak-Gill
- The Fertility Partnership Vitrolive in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 70-483, Poland
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
| | - Patryk Harasny
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
- Department of Urology and Urological Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 70-111, Poland
| | - Tomasz Machalowski
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
- Department of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Police, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 72-010, Poland
| | - Marta Grabowska
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
| | - Rafal Kurzawa
- The Fertility Partnership Vitrolive in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 70-483, Poland
- Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
| | - Olimpia Sipak
- Department of Obstetrics and Pathology of Pregnancy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Piasecka
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, 71-210, Poland
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Gill K, Kups M, Harasny P, Machalowski T, Grabowska M, Lukaszuk M, Matuszewski M, Duchnik E, Fraczek M, Kurpisz M, Piasecka M. The Negative Impact of Varicocele on Basic Semen Parameters, Sperm Nuclear DNA Dispersion and Oxidation-Reduction Potential in Semen. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18115977. [PMID: 34199549 PMCID: PMC8199719 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Since varicocele is so common in infertile men, this study intends to analyse the relationships between varicocele and conventional semen characteristics, sperm nuclear DNA dispersion and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in semen. Varicocele-positive and varicocele-negative infertile men (study groups) showed significantly lower standard sperm parameters and higher sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and ORP in semen than healthy volunteers and subjects with proven fertility (control groups). A lower proportion of low SDF levels (0–15% SDF) and higher incidence of high SDF levels (>30% SDF), as well as a higher prevalence of high ORP values (>1.37 mV/106 sperm/mL), were found in the study groups vs. the control groups. Moreover, infertile men had significantly lower odds ratios (ORs) for low SDF levels and significantly higher ORs for high SDF levels and high ORP. SDF and ORP were negatively correlated with sperm number, morphology, motility and vitality. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between SDF and ORP. The obtained results suggest that disorders of spermatogenesis may occur in varicocele-related infertility. These abnormalities are manifested not only by reduced standard semen parameters but also by decreased sperm DNA integrity and simultaneously increased oxidative stress in semen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Gill
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
| | - Michal Kups
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
- TFP Fertility Vitrolive in Szczecin, 70-483 Szczecin, Poland
- Department of Urology and Oncological Urology, Regional Specialist Hospital in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Patryk Harasny
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
- Department of Urology and Urological Oncology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Tomasz Machalowski
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
- Department of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University, 72-010 Police, Poland
| | - Marta Grabowska
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
| | - Mariusz Lukaszuk
- Healthcare Center Nowe Orlowo, 81-525 Gdynia, Poland;
- Invicta Fertility Clinic, 80-850 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marcin Matuszewski
- Department of Urology, Medical University in Gdansk, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Ewa Duchnik
- Department of Aesthetic Dermatology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Monika Fraczek
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland; (M.F.); (M.K.)
| | - Maciej Kurpisz
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60-479 Poznan, Poland; (M.F.); (M.K.)
| | - Malgorzata Piasecka
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland; (K.G.); (M.K.); (P.H.); (T.M.); (M.G.)
- Correspondence:
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