Sperm shape abnormalities induced by energy-related hydrocarbons and industrial chemicals. Progress report, January 1-June 30, 1979. [Methods of screening for toxic agents]

Using existing and new biological screening and testing systems, the presence of carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and physiologic or metabolically toxic agents associated with coal and oil shale extraction, conversion or utilization was identified. The purpose of the study is to further develop and apply the detection of morphologically abnormal mammalian sperm as a rapid, simple, quantitative assay of the pathologic response of the male gonad to toxic agents associated with the recovery, process stream, and emission of nonnuclear sources of energy, with primary attention to substances from in situ coal gasification and in situ oil-shale extraction. Changes in mouse sperm head dimensions following low dose x-ray exposure have been compiled and analyzed

Role of human- and animal-sperm studies in the evaluation of male reproductive hazards

Human sperm tests provide a direct means of assessing chemically induced spermatogenic dysfunction in man. Available tests include sperm count, motility, morphology (seminal cytology), and Y-body analyses. Over 70 different human exposures have been monitored in various groups of exposed men. The majority of exposures studied showed a significant change from control in one or more sperm tests. When carefully controlled, the sperm morphology test is statistically the most sensitive of these human sperm tests. Several sperm tests have been developed in nonhuman mammals for the study of chemical spermatotoxins. The sperm morphology test in mice has been the most widely used. Results with this test seem to be related to germ-cell mutagenicity. In general, animal sperm tests should play an important role in the identification and assessment of potential human reproductive hazards. Exposure to spermatotoxins may lead to infertility, and more importantly, to heritable genetic damage. While there are considerable animal and human data suggesting that sperm tests may be used to detect agents causing infertility, the extent to which these tests detect heritable genetic damage remains unclear. (ERB

Decreases in Human Semen Quality with Age Among Healthy Men

The objective of this report is to characterize the associations between age and semen quality among healthy active men after controlling for identified covariates. Ninety-seven healthy, nonsmoking men between 22 and 80 years without known fertility problems who worked for or retired from a large research laboratory. There was a gradual decrease in all semen parameters from 22-80 years of age. After adjusting for covariates, volume decreased 0.03 ml per year (p = 0.001); sperm concentration decreased 2.5% per year (p = 0.005); total count decreased 3.6% per year of age (p < 0.001); motility decreased 0.7% per year (P < 0.001); progressive motility decreased 3.1% per year (p < 0.001); and total progressively motile sperm decreased 4.8% per year (p < 0.001). In a group of healthy active men, semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and sperm motility decrease continuously between 22-80 years of age, with no evidence of a threshold

Detection of structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities by ACM-FISH analysis in sperm of oligozoospermic infertility patients.

NoModern reproductive technologies are enabling the treatment of infertile men with severe disturbances of spermatogenesis. The possibility of elevated frequencies of genetically and chromosomally defective sperm has become an issue of concern with the increased usage of ICSI, which can enable men with severely impaired sperm production to father children. Several papers have been published reporting aneuploidy in oligozoospermic patients, but relatively little is known about chromosome structural aberrations in the sperm of these patients. METHODS: We examined sperm from infertile, oligozoospermic individuals for structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities using a multicolour ACM fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay that utilizes DNA probes specific for three regions of chromosome 1 to detect human sperm that carry numerical chromosomal abnormalities plus two categories of structural aberrations: duplications and deletions of 1pter and 1cen, and chromosomal breaks within the 1cen¿1q12 region. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the average frequencies of sperm with duplications and deletions in the infertility patients compared with the healthy concurrent controls. There was also a significantly elevated level of breaks within the 1cen¿1q12 region. There was no evidence for an increase in chromosome 1 disomy, or in diploidy. CONCLUSIONS: Our data reveal that oligozoospermia is associated with chromosomal structural abnormalities, suggesting that oligozoospermic men carry a higher burden of transmissible, chromosome damage. The findings raise the possibility of elevated levels of transmissible chromosomal defects following ICSI treatment

Detección de aneuploidía, en núcleo espermático empleando hibridación "in situ" fluorescente

Se ha demostrado que fumar tabaco va en detrimento de la densidad espermática y de la motilidad y la estructura de los espermatozoides, pero se sabe poco acerca de defectos genéticos en los espermatozoides. Se obtuvieron muestras de semen de quince grandes fumadores (más de 20 cigarrillos por día) y quince no fumadores habitantes del altamente industrializado distrito de Teplice, en la República Checa. Los fumadores presentaban niveles significativamente elevados de cotinina en orina y consuman más alcohol y cafeína que los no fumadores. Se utilizó la hibridación in situ fluorescente (FISH) simultánea para tres cromosomas con objeto de caracterizar los niveles de aneuploidía y diploidía en los espermatozoides de fumadores y no fumadores. Los fumadores presentaron mayores frecuencias que los no fumadores para todas las clases de aneuploidla. Se encontraron diferencias significativas para YY8 (p= 0,003), 88.(XóY) (p= 0,04) y frecuencia total de hiperhaploides (p= 0,02). Los dos grupos de hombres no diferían en sus frecuencias de XY8, XX8 o espermatozoides diploides. En comparación con un grupo de no fumadores de California, los no fumadores del distrito de Teplice presentaban mayor frecuencia de aneuploidlas del tipo XX8, XY8 y XY88. Otras medidas de la calidad del semen incluyeron análisis estándar del semen, análisis de espermatozoides asistido por computador (CASA) y pruebas de la estructura de la cromatina de los espermatozoides (SCSA). Los fumadores y los no fumadores no diferían significativamente en ninguno de estos parámetros, excepto en el porcentaje de espermatozoides con cabeza redondeada, que era elevado en los fumadores (4,0±0,6 frente a 2,4±0,2, p= 0,01). Nuestros resultados indican que el consumo de tabaco se asocia a un incremento en la aparición de ciertos tipos de espermatozoides aneuploides en los hombres, que muestran pocos cambios más en su semen. Son necesarios más estudios para determinar si son los productos derivados del tabaco los responsables de estos cambios, o bien si los causantes son otros factores asociados al estilo de vida