Humans ; Lead ; toxicity ; Male ; Reproduction ; drug effects ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of different proportions of cryoprotectant to seminal plasma on the motility of post-thaw human sperm.

METHODSDifferent proportions of cryoprotectant to seminal plasma (1:1 and 1:3) were used for freezing sperm, and the forward movement and total motility rates of the frozen-thawed sperm were compared.

RESULTSThe forward movement and total motility rates were (58.60 +/- 5.57)% and (66.17 +/- 5.24)% before cryopreservation. The 1:1 proportion achieved post-thaw forward movement and total motility rates of (40.53 +/- 8.97)% and (51.23 +/- 9. 30)%, while the 1:3 (44.7 +/- 8.67)% and (51.50 +/- 7.40)%, respectively. Significantly decreased sperm motility was observed after cryopreservation (P < 0.05). Statistically significant differences were found in the forward movement but not in the total motility of the frozen-thawed sperm between the two proportions.

CONCLUSIONCryopreservation causes obvious damage to human sperm. Higher proportion of cryoprotectant to seminal plasma (1:3) can improve the forward movement of post-thaw sperm as compared with the lower one (1:1).

Adult ; Cryoprotective Agents ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; Freezing ; Humans ; Male ; Semen ; drug effects ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

Adolescent ; Adult ; Boron ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of Annexin 5 in protecting human sperm membrane and DNA integrity.

METHODSWe collected 53 semen samples based on the criteria of sperm density > 20 x 10(6)/ml and motility > 60%, and divided them into an experimental group (2.5 microl 10(-6) mol/L Annexin 5 added to 47.5 microl semen), a negative control group (2.5 microl 1 mol/L Tris-HCl [pH 8.0, 25 degrees C] added to 47.5 microl semen), and a blank control group (2.5 microl 0.01 mol/L PBS [pH 7.4] added to 47.5 microl semen). After 20 minutes of incubation, we evaluated the sperm membrane integrity using the hypoosmotic swelling test and, after another 60 minutes of treatment with H2O2 at 2.5 microl 10.02 mol/L, measured the sperm nuclear DNA integrity by acridine orange fluorescent staining.

RESULTSAfter 20 minutes of treatment with Annexin 5, the experimental group showed extremely significant difference in the percentage of hypoosmotic swelling sperm ([66.17 +/- 12.02] %) from the blank control ([58.13 +/- 13.08]%, P < 0.01) and the negative control group ([59.94 +/- 11.91]%, P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the latter two. Treatment with H2O2 remarkably increased DFI in the experimental group (6.39 +/- 1.07) as compared with the blank control (11.16 +/- 1.16) and the negative control group (10.86 +/- 1.05, P < 0.01), but no significant difference was observed between the latter two.

CONCLUSIONAnnexin 5 can increase the percentage of hypoosmotic swelling sperm in vitro and protect sperm membrane integrity, and it can also protect sperm DNA from H2O2 damage.

Annexin A5 ; pharmacology ; Cell Membrane ; drug effects ; DNA ; DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the in vivo effects of nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) on the main organs, particularly the reproductive system, of male mice.

METHODSForty-five male ICR mice aged 6 weeks were equally and randomly divided into 2 experimental groups and a control group, intraperitoneally injected with 200 and 500 mg/kg nanosized TiO2 and equal volume of saline, respectively, every other day for 5 times. One week after drug cessation, we obtained the coefficients of the main organs, serum biochemical parameters and the levels of gonadal hormones (T and E2), analyzed the pathological changes of the main organs by HE staining, observed sperm count, motility and abnormality under the microscope, and detected germ cell apoptosis by TUNEL.

RESULTSCompared with the control, the low-dose (200 mg/kg) group showed no significant changes in the above parameters, while the high-dose (500 mg/kg) group exhibited a decrease in the coefficients of the liver, heart and kidneys, and a significant increase in such serum biochemical parameters as ALT, ALT/AST and BUN (P < 0.05). The high-dose group also showed significantly reduced sperm density and motility, increased sperm abnormality and germ cell apoptosis (P < 0.05), but no obvious pathological changes in the liver, kidney spleen, testis and epididymis.

CONCLUSIONLow-dose nanosized TiO2 has no obvious effect on male mice, but high-dose may significantly reduce their sperm count and function and induce germ cell apoptosis, although its damage on the liver and kidney function is slight.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Nanoparticles ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Titanium ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVESTo analyze the changes of movement function and viability in human spermatozoa induced by reactive oxygen species(ROS), and to prove whether ROS were one of the causes of the movement dysfunction of spermatozoa.

METHODSSpermatozoa with normal physiological functions selected from semen samples by Percoll gradient centrifugation technique were regarded as normal sperm models. ROS were generated by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system and then incubated with normal sperm models under aerobic environment. After model spermatozoa were incubated with ROS, movement parameters of spermatozoa were analyzed by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) system.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, after model spermatozoa were incubated with ROS for 30 minutes, motility, curvilinear velocity(VCL), straight line velocity (VSL) and average path velocity (VAP) of the spermatozoa were significantly decreased (P < 0.001), but amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) was insignificant (P > 0.05). When incubated with ROS for 60 minutes, spermatozoa almost lost movement function and all movement parameters of spermatozoa inclined to zero.

CONCLUSIONSWhen normal spermatozoa were incubated with ROS, movement functions of sperm were decreased. It was demonstrated that ROS were one of the causes of the movement dysfunction of spermatozoa.

Adult ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; toxicity ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of apigenin on semen parameters in male mice.

METHODSTotally 100 healthy male mice of Kunming strain were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the body weight: negative control, solvent control, low-dose apigenin, median-dose apigenin and high-dose apigenin, the latter three groups given intragastric apigenin at a fixed time every day for 7 and 14 days. At 35 days after the first medication, all the mice were killed and detected for the sperm motion parameters by computer aided sperm analysis (CASA).

RESULTSThere were no statistically significant differences in sperm motion parameters, density and motility between the negative control and the three apigenin groups after 7-day medication. At 14 days, the high-dose apigenin group showed remarkable decreases in average path velocity (VAP), straight line velocity (VSL), straightness (STR), wobbliness (WOB), the percentage of grade b sperm and sperm motility, and a significant increase in beat cross frequency (BCF) as compared with the negative control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONApigenin affects sperm motility in male mice to a certain extent.

Animals ; Apigenin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Semen ; drug effects ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of the metabolite produced by Trichomonas vaginalis on human sperm motility in vitro.

METHODSTrichomonas vaginalis having been cultured, the culture solution containing metabolite was obtained by removing the protozoa, then diluted into 3 kinds of concentration. Sperm was obtained from 10 healthy fertile men by masturbation and prepared by swim-up technique to produce a spermatozoon solution of high motility. Every sperm sample was divided into 4 groups (A, B, C, D). Unused culture solution was added to Group A as control, and the other 3 groups (B, C, D) were respectively incubated with the above used culture solution at 3 kinds of concentration (1.2 x 10(9)/L, 6 x 10(8)/L, 1.2 x 10(8)/L). Measurements were carried out at 30 s, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h by CASA.

RESULTSSperm motility decreased in both Group B and C markedly, and the effects displayed a concentration- and time-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONThe metabolite of Trichomonas vaginalis can reduce human sperm motility in vitro, and may be one of the causes of infertility.

Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Time Factors ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; metabolism

More and more study on the epididymal function and sperm maturation has shown that epididymis will be one of the best target organs of male contraception, although at present there is not a male contraceptive medicine based on epididymis for clinical practice. The promoting research aspects in epididymal contraception in animal included affecting directly epididymis (such as Sulpasalazine), interfering energy metabolism and sperm mobility (such as Chlorinated Glycerol), altering the internal environment of epididymis (such as copper particles and TW19). The epididymal specific proteins could bring out some new target antigens for immunological contraception, to produce contraceptive vaccine. Some special genes, which expressed distinctively in epididymis such as SC342, bin1, have been cloned and studied on their function. These works would be helpful not only for clinical diagnosis and treatment of epididymitis and male infertility, but also for male contraceptive research and progress.
Contraception ; Contraceptive Agents, Male ; pharmacology ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Epididymis ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Maturation ; drug effects ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of SHENG MAI ZHUSHEYE on the movement parameters and viability of human sperm in vitro.

METHODSWe collected sperm samples from 33 normal fertile men, divided each into two, and cultured them in vitro with SHENG MAI ZHUSHEYE + Hams-F10 and Hams-F10 alone, respectively. Then we measured the straight line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP) and the amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) of the sperm by computer-aided semen analysis at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 h. And the sperm viability was detected.

RESULTSVCL was significantly higher at 8 h (P < 0.05) and very significantly higher at 12 h (P < 0.01) in the SHENG MAI ZHUSHEYE + Hams-F10 group than in the Hams-F10 group. VSL, VAP and ALH were significantly increased in the former group at 4, 8 and 12 h as compared with the latter (P < 0.05). The sperm viability was significantly decreased in the Hams-F10 group at 12 h (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHENG MAI ZHUSHEYE can improve sperm movement parameters and increase sperm viability in vitro.

Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Male ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects