Correlation of Total Antioxidants Levels and Malondialdehyde with Sperm Parameters and Chromatin integrity in Asthenoteratozoospermia Men

Sperm dysfunction caused by reactive oxygen species (ROSs) is one of the major causes of infertility in men, which leads to, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the formation of stable peroxidation products like Malondialdehyde (MDA) in seminal plasma. MDA is effective factor in reducing fertility. The aim of this study is to determine two biochemical markers of oxidative stress; TAC and MDA, and correlation to sperm parameters and chromatin integrity at asthenoteratozoospermia men.

In this study, a case-control study was carried out in two groups of 50 fertilized men and 50 asthenoteratozoospermia men in Qom IVF center; Iran. Semen analysis was performed according to WHO (2010) guidelines. DNA damage, protamine deficiency and TAC, MDA levels in all patients were measured by kit methods, respectively.

According to our results, the percentage of sperm parameters in the infertile men were lower than the fertile men (p <0.05). Also, there was a significant difference in DNA damage and protamine deficiency between the two groups (p <0.05). Lower TAC levels (1.82± 0.11 vs. 2.25 ± 0.13) and higher MDA levels (2.36 ± 0.09 vs. 1.97 ± 0.10) were observed in infertile men with asthenoteratozoospermia compared to fertile men.

These results suggest that decreasing TAC and increasing MDA lead to low sperm parameters and high DNA integrity in sperm of asthenoteratozoospermia men. Therefore, evaluation of oxidative status and antioxidant defenses system may be as a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment of male infertility especially in idiopathic male infertility