Application of flow cytometry to the evaluation of semen quality / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the role of flow cytometry in semen assessment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Semen samples from 104 infertile male patients (as the case group) and 10 fertilized donors (as the control group) were analyzed for the volume of ejaculate and sperm concentration, motility and atypical morphology by computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA), the viability, chromatin structure and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of the sperm stained by SYBR-14/PI, AO and JC-1 respectively, and assessed with flow cytometry. The results were analyzed through SAS software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>U tests indicated that the semen from the infertile patients had not only lower concentration (U = 2.51, P = 0.0143), lower motility (U = 3.44, P = 0.001) and higher rate of atypical morphology (U = -5.88, P < 0.0001), but also lower viability (U = 4.72, P < 0.0001), MMP (U = -2.53, P = 0.0309), and chromatin integrity (alpha t: U = -3.82, P = 0.0003; SD alpha t: U = -3.98, P = 0.0001; COMP alpha t: U = -3.57, P = 0.0005). The multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that sperm motility was positively correlated with sperm membrane integrity (t = 1.66, P = 0.1016), sperm MMP (t = 3.33, P = 0.0014) and sperm acrosome integrity (t = 3.24, P = 0.0019), while sperm MMP was negatively correlated with the rates of sperm neck and tail defects (t = -3.44, P = 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Flow cytometry plays a significant role in the evaluation of the quality of human sperm, and can be adopted as a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.</p>

Measurement of the reactive oxygen species and cytokines in the seminal plasma of leukocytospermic patients / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To detect the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and interleukin 8(IL-8) in seminal plasma of infertile patients, and evaluate the possible relationship between those levels.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Semen was collected from normal donors (15 cases), infertile men without infection (16 cases), and infertile men with infection (leukocytospermia, 11 cases). The routine analysis of semen was accomplished, and then the levels of IL-8, malondialdehyde (MDA), SOD, and white blood cell (WBC) were examined. The correlative analysis between the level of ROS and other parameters in these populations was made.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In leukocytospermic group, the levels of MDA, WBC, and IL-8 were higher than those in the other two groups (P < 0.001). Significantly positive correlation was observed between IL-8 and MDA (r = 0.852, P < 0.001) and between the levels of IL-8 and WBC.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>These findings suggest that increased oxidative stress in patients with leukocytospermia may cause the increase of IL-8(r = 0.818, P < 0.01). The increased oxidative stress may be due to defect in ROS scavenging system.</p>