Reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant concentration of seminal plasma and their effect on sperm parameters and outcome of IVF/ICSI patients

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and total antioxident (TAS) in seminal plasma of IVF (in vitro fertilization) and ICSI patients, to establish their effect on sperm quality (count, vitality, HOS, morphology, maturity, DNA strand breaks) and assess the fertilization potential of spermatozoa and IVF/ICSI outcome.

Method: IVF/ICSI patients (n = 48) 26 IVF and 22 ICSI were included in this study. A spermiogram was generated from each patient one-hour post ejaculation and smears were made from each semen sample to evaluate the morphology, sperm maturity (Chromomycin CMA3) and DNA strand breaks (Terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling, TUNEL-assay).

Results: In both groups a negative correlation was found between ROS concentration in seminal plasma and sperm vitality (r= -0.111; P = 0.453); membrane integrity and morphology (-0.141; P = 0.340) and fertilization rate (r = -0.0290; P=0.045). However, TAS in seminal plasma correlated positive with fertilization rate (r = 0.081; P = 0.584). In addition, an inverse correlation was found between sperm DNA strand breaks (TUNEL-test) and spermatozoa global and progressive motility, vitality, and membrane integrity. Furthermore, the mean percentage of normal condensed spermatozoa (CMA3) was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) in patients undergoing IVF compared to ICSI. Spermatozoa of male ICSI patients were more susceptible to acid denaturation (acridine orange staining) compared to spermatozoa of male IVF patients (P = 0.041). However, ROS concentration was higher in IVF patients compared to ICSI patients (94.73 +/- 102.84 vs. 54.78 +/- 39.83 micromol/l, whilst TAS levels (1.43 +/- 0.28 vs. 1.53 +/- 0.22) and fertilization rate (67. 26 vs. 67.26) were similar in both groups.

Conclusion: ROS concentration and other sperm parameters were higher in IVF compared to ICSI patients. TAS concentration was comparable between the two groups. However, the fertilization rate was smilar in IVF and ICSI patients. Therefore, ROS concentration in seminal plasma affects the quality of spermatozoa but does not affect the fertilization rate in IVF/ICSI cycles.