Relation Between Cadmium and Mercury and the Deficiency of Human Sperm Nucleus

Mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) are metals found in the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources. They are highly toxic to humans and other living beings. Most human exposures come from the consumption of contaminated seafood or occupational exposure. It has been accepted that exposure to heavy metals leads to damage the male reproduction. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of Hg and Cd in infertile men.

In general, 62 men were included in this study among whom, 31 cases were infertile and within the age range of 23-38. The blood samples were collected to measure the concentrations of Cd and Hg in the serum using atomic adsorption spectrophotometry. In addition, semen analyses were performed according to the World Health Organization criteria, followed by sperm characteristics such as motility, head morphology, validity, and total count for at least 200 spermatozoa of each sample. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS software, version 17. Finally, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for parametric distribution.

A considerable level of Hg and Cd was detected in the serum of infertile men compared with the control and there was a statistical difference between them and the control group (P ≤ 0.05) Based on the results, there was a correlation between the high level of heavy metals and impairments in seminal quality. Further, the DNA damage was evaluated using chromatin condensation staining assay and the results showed a high percentage of DNA damage for infertile men in accordance with the levels of Hg and Cd (P ≤ 0.05).

According to our results, Cd and Hg cooperate in affecting the sperm and leading to the DNA damage of the sperm