Blood Leukocyte ROS Production Reflects Seminal Fluid Oxidative Stress and Spermatozoa Dysfunction in Idiopathic Infertile Men

One-Year Impact of Occupational Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Sperm Quality

BACKGROUND

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have toxic potential, especially as carcinogens, neurotoxins, and endocrine disruptors. The objective of this study is to know the impact of exposure to PAHs on the reproductive health of male workers who operate in solar thermal plants.

METHODS

Case-control study. A total of 61 men were included: 32 workers exposed to PAH at a solar thermal plant and 29 unexposed people. Seminal quality was studied both at the cellular level (quantity and quality of sperm) and at the biochemical level (magnitudes of oxidative stress in seminal plasma).

RESULTS

In exposure to PAHs, a significantly higher seminal leukocyte infiltration was observed, as well as lower activity in seminal plasma of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and a reduced glutathione/oxidised glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio. The oxidative stress parameters of seminal plasma did not show a relationship with sperm cellularity, neither in those exposed nor in those not exposed to PAH.

CONCLUSION

One year of exposure to PAH in a solar thermal plant does not have a negative impact on the sperm cellularity of the worker, either quantitatively (sperm count) or qualitatively (motility, vitality, morphology, or cellular DNA fragmentation). However, PAH exposure is associated with lower antioxidant capacity and higher leukocyte infiltration in seminal plasma.

Moxibustion prevents tripterygium glycoside-induced oligoasthenoteratozoospermia in rats via reduced oxidative stress and modulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) decreases male fertility, seriously affecting the production of offspring. This study clarified the preventive impact of different moxibustion frequencies on OAT and selected the optimal frequency to elucidate the underlying mechanism. An OAT rat model was constructed by gavage of tripterygium glycosides (TGS) suspension. Daily moxibustion (DM) or alternate-day moxibustion (ADM) was administered on the day of TGS suspension administration. Finally, we selected DM for further study based on sperm quality and DNA fragmentation index, testicular and epididymal morphology, and reproductive hormone level results. Subsequently, the oxidative stress (OS) status was evaluated by observing the OS indices levels; malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in testicular tissue using colorimetry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythropoietin-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were evaluated using Western blotting. Immunohistochemistry was employed to locate and assess the expression of HO-1 and Nrf2 protein, while quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to detect their mRNA expression. MDA and 8-OHdG levels decreased following DM treatment, while T-SOD and T-AOC increased, suggesting that DM may prevent TGS-induced OAT in rats by decreasing OS in the testis. Furthermore, protein and mRNA expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the testis were elevated, indicating that DM may reduce OS by activating the signaling pathway of Nrf2/HO-1. Therefore, DM could prevent OAT in rats via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, thereby presenting a promising therapeutic approach against OAT.

SIRT1 and thrombosis

Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a complex and multifactorial pathogenesis. Recent studies have shown that SIRT1, a member of the sirtuin family of NAD + -dependent deacetylases, plays a crucial role in regulating thrombosis, modulating key pathways including endothelial activation, platelet aggregation, and coagulation. Furthermore, SIRT1 displays anti-inflammatory activity both in vitro, in vivo and in clinical studies, particularly via the reduction of oxidative stress. On these bases, several studies have investigated the therapeutic potential of targeting SIRT1 for the prevention of thrombosis. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the main preclinical and clinical studies and of the current understanding of the role of SIRT1 in thrombosis.

Comprehensive metabolomics profiling of seminal plasma in asthenozoospermia caused by different etiologies

BACKGROUND

Asthenozoospermia (AZS) is a disease characterized by decreased sperm motility induced by multiple etiologies, and the pathological mechanisms of various AZS are unclear. We simultaneously analyzed the metabolic profiling of four representative AZS to provide new insights into the etiologies of AZS.

METHOD

Seminal plasma samples were collected from healthy control (HC; n = 30) and four AZS induced by varicocele (VA, n = 30), obesity (OA, n = 22), reproductive system infections (RA; n = 17) and idiopathic (IA, n = 30), respectively, and were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Disturbed metabolites and metabolic pathways were compared between AZS and HC, as well as IA and the other three AZS.

RESULTS

A total of 40 different metabolites were identified in the seminal plasma of AZS and HC, of which lactic acid, fructose, citric acid, glutamine and pyruvic acid metabolic abnormalities associated with all the AZS groups, while each AZS group had unique metabolic changes. RA was significantly separated from the other three AZS, and metabolites such as cholesterol, octadecanoic acid and serine mainly contributed to the separation.

CONCLUSION

The comprehensive metabolomic analysis and comparison of four various AZS provided evidence and clues for the mechanism mining, which will benefit future etiology, diagnosis and treatment of AZS.