Elsevier

Fertility and Sterility

Volume 86, Issue 4, October 2006, Pages 878-885
Fertility and Sterility

Male factor
Reactive oxygen species as an independent marker of male factor infertility

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.02.111Get rights and content
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Objective

To determine the abnormal patterns of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in male factor infertility (MFI) patients and to define the ROS reference values in such patients.

Design

A retrospective study.

Setting

Male infertility clinic at a tertiary healthcare center.

Patient(s)

We examined 132 MFI patients (all normal sperm parameters, n = 24, and all abnormal sperm parameters, n = 38) and 34 healthy donors.

Intervention(s)

Routine semen analysis, measurement of ROS.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Sperm parameters, ROS levels (104 cpm/20 × 106 sperm).

Result(s)

Normal, healthy donors had significantly higher (P<.0001) sperm concentration, motility, and morphology compared with all MFI patients. Univariate analysis indicated a significant association between MFI and log (ROS + 1) (odds ratio [OR] = 3.84), besides sperm parameters and age. A multivariate model using logistic regression analysis also indicated an independent association of log ROS with MFI (OR = 4.25). The ROS cutoff values of 1.2–1.4 had a sensitivity of 0.70–0.78 with a corresponding specificity of 0.82. However, at a cutoff point of 1.2, the OR was 68.6, which increased with an increase in the cutoff.

Conclusion(s)

High ROS is an independent marker of MFI, irrespective of whether these patients have normal or abnormal semen parameters. We suggest the inclusion of ROS measurement as part of idiopathic infertility evaluation. Treatment with antioxidants may be beneficial in such patients.

Key Words

Human spermatozoa
male factor infertility
oxidative stress
reactive oxygen species
antioxidants
sperm parameters

Cited by (0)

Supported by the Glickman Urological Institute and the Cleveland Clinic Research Programs Committee, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.