[Prognostic ability of seminal plasma lipidomic analysis in predicting the success of microTESE in men with azoospermia]

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this work is to assess the possibility of metabolomic (specifically lipidomic) analysis of seminal plasma to identify patients with preserved focal spermatogenesis in the testes who may have a reasonable chance of sperm retrieval during the microTESE procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

lipid composition of semen plasma samples from 64 men with azoospermia and 24 fertile control men was analyzed. Lipids were isolated from semen by a modified Folch extraction method. Lipid extracts were analyzed by reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Lipidomic data were compared with the results of the microTESE procedure.

RESULTS

Comparison of two groups revealed a statistically significant difference in concentration for 23 lipids detected in positive ion mode and 37 lipids detected in negative ion mode. Those lipids mainly belong to hexosylceramides, sphingomyelins and phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines and their ethers. In multivariate analysis content of SM d16: 1/18:0 lipid (beta coefficient: -7.23; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: -11.93 to - 2.53; odds ratio: 7.23e-04; CI for odds ratio: 6.59e-06 to 7.93e-02; Walds test: -3.02; p=0.003), content of TG 14: 1_16 : 0_18: 3 lipid (beta 2.95; 95% CI 0.98 to 4.93; odds ratio: 1.92e + 01; CI for odds ratio: 2.66e + 00 to 1.39e + 02 ; Walds test: 2.93; p=0.003) and testicular volume (beta: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.04 to 2.45; odds ratio: 1.15e + 00; CI odds ratio: from 1.04e + 00 to 1.27e + 00; Walds test: 2.65; p=0.008) were significantly associated with positive MicroTESE outcome. The sensitivity of this regression model was 61%, the specificity was 83%, and the AUC was 0.75.

CONCLUSIONS

seminal plasma serves as a rich source of biological markers for identifying patients with preserved focal spermatogenesis in the testes. Seminal plasma lipidomic profile of the of patients in the control group with normal spermatogenesis clearly differs from the profile of patients with azoospermia, also there was a significant difference in content of a difference in lipids between patients with positive and negative microTESE outcomes. These are preliminary results and further research is needed to confirm the validity of the resulting lipid panel.

Effects of acoustic and EHF impulses on multipotent stromal cells during formation of bone marrow containing heterotopic organs in tissue engineered constructions

We studied the effects of physical factors (acoustic impulses of laser-induced hydrodynamics, AILIH, and EHF-radiation) on the formation of heterotopic bone marrow organs. Suspension of precipitated mouse bone marrow cells was exposed to AILIH and EHF or their combinations (AILIH+EHF, EHF+AILIH). The developed tissue engineering constructions (gelatin sponges containing 107 nucleated bone marrow cells exposed to physical factors) were transplanted under the renal capsule of syngeneic mice. Analysis of newly formed hemopoietic organs was performed after 3 and 5 months. The total amount of hemopoietic cells, number of multipotent stromal cells, efficiency of colony formation from these cells, and weight of bone capsule of the transplants were measured. Microscopic study showed that 5-month transplants were significantly larger than 3-month transplants and contained 3-fold more hemopoietic cells (20-fold in the AILIH+EHF group). The number of multipotent stromal cells was maximum in EHF+AILIH group (by 2.2 times higher than in the control) and minimum in AILIH+EHF group. Exposure to EHF+AILIH had most pronounced effect on the formation of the bone marrow transplants. The weight of bone capsules more rapidly increased in gelatin sponges of 3-month transplants of EHF+AILIH and AILIH groups. These data suggest that the studied physical factors can be used for acceleration of rehabilitation process.

Novel concepts of the causes of EHF-radiation-induced stimulating effects

This article reviewed our investigations and the literature on the interaction of EHF radiation with biological objects. This allowed us to advance the general mechanism for the effect of millimetric waves on photosynthesizing organisms.

Effect of EHF radiation on metabolism of Cyanobacteria spirulina platensis and other photosynthesizing organisms

A stimulatory influence of EHF radiation on the growth and physiological activity of photosynthetic organisms is shown. Some primary responses to this action are studied. Oxygen is considered to be of great importance in the mechanism of the stimulators effect of EHF radiation.

[The selenium haemostasis during experimental anaphylaxis reaction in rats treated with reduced glutathione and selenium enriched spirulina]

The main events caused by anaphilaxis in selenium haemostasis in rats include significant increase of selenium excretion with urine (6.36 +/- 1.18 nM Se/18 h., n = 10, compared with 1.72 +/- 0.38 nM Se/18 h., n = 10) and decrease of selenium plasma/selenium erythrocytes ratio from 0.939 to 0.791. Reduced glutathione (G-SH) administration led to 1.5-fold decrease of plasma selenium level and 1.3-fold increase of selenium concentration in intestinal walls of sensitized rats (r = -0.720, P < 0.001). Chromatographic separation of plasma proteins showed that intragastric intubation of G-SH to sensibilized rats significantly decreased the protein P content and did not influence the concentration of Se-GSHPx, thus indicating the local selenium acceptor role of G-SH. G-SH administration did not influence the intestinal permeability in sensitised rats while use of complex additive: G-SH and selenium enriched spirulina--normalized the latter parameter and the ratio of protein P/Se-GSHPx in plasma.