Assessment of the Effects of Different Oxidative Stress Level on Sperm Functional Parameters and Genomic Integrity

The relevance to exposing the spermatozoa to an additional oxidative stress comes from the fact that it has to bare additional oxidative stress in the female genital tract.

The present study evaluates the levels of oxidative stress that sperm can bear up in female genital tract with its functions and DNA integrity.

The subjects were primarily recruited from the division of Infertility, Department of Urology, SMS Medical College and Hospital Jaipur.

Data were analysed on 122 semen samples from infertile and 12 sample from fertile subjects. The data obtained were statistically analysed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation was done among various parameters.

The percentage of DNA damaged cells significantly (P<0.001) increased at 200 and 300 μM concentration of H₂O₂. A negative significant relationship was revealed between sperm motility (P<0.01), vitality (P<0.05) and percent DNA damaged cells. Sperm functions however, less affected at 300 μM H₂O₂ following 10 min of incubation, but increased dose (600 μM) level drastically affects all sperm functional parameters (motility, vitality, Hypo-Osmotic Swelling [HOS] Test, nuclear chromatin decondensation test [NCD], acrosomal integrity test [AIT] and sperm mitochondrial activity test [SMAI]).

The H₂O₂ caused a dose-dependent deleterious effect on sperm DNA integrity and sperm function in both fertile and infertile group, however, in infertile group effect was more severe. The present study shows that DNA integrity harshly deteriorate at 300 μM within 10 min of incubation period though, sperm functions does not affected at this level following 10 min. So, it can be concluded that besides physical parameter, level of oxidative stress in semen, estimation of sperm DNA damage also included in routinely investigated parameters.