Role of Trace Elements for Oxidative Status and Quality of Human Sperm

Abstract

Oxidative stress affects sperm qualitynegatively. To maintain the pro/antioxidant balance,some metal ions (e.g. copper, zink, iron, selenium), whichare co-factors of the antioxidant enzymes, are essential.However, iron and copper could act as prooxidantsinducing oxidative damage of spermatozoa.Aims: To reveal a possible correlation between theconcentrations of some metal ions (iron, copper, zinc,and selenium) in human seminal plasma, oxidativestress, assessed by malondialdehyde and total glutathionelevels, and semen quality, assessed by the parameterscount, motility, and morphology.Study Design: Descriptive study.Methods: The semen analysis for volume, count, andmotility was performed according to World HealthOrganization (2010) guidelines, using computer-assistedsemen analysis. For the determination of spermatozoamorphology, a SpermBlue staining method was applied.Depending on their parameters, the sperm samples werecategorized into normozoospermic, teratozoospermic,asthenoteratozoospermic, and oligoteratozoospermic.The seminal plasma content of iron, copper, zinc,and selenium was estimated by atomic absorptionspectroscopy. The malondialdehyde and total glutathionelevels were quantified spectrophotometrically.Results: In the groups with poor sperm quality, thelevels of Fe were higher, whereas those of Zn and Sewere significantly lower than in the normozoospermicgroup. In all groups with poor sperm quality, increasedlevels of malondialdehyde and decreased glutathionelevels were detected as evidence of oxidative stressoccurrence. All these differences are most pronounced inthe asthenoteratozoospermic group where values differnearly twice as much compared to the normozoospermicgroup. The Fe concentration correlated positively withthe malondialdehyde (r=0.666, p=0.018), whereas itshowed a negative correlation with the level of totalglutathione (r=-0.689, p=0.013). The total glutathionelevel correlated positively with the sperm motility(r=0.589, p=0.044).Conclusion: The elevated levels of Fe and the reducedSe levels are associated with sperm damage. Thechanges in the concentrations of the trace elements inhuman seminal plasma may be related to sperm qualitysince they are involved in the maintenance of the pro-/antioxidative balance in ejaculate.