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. 2024 Apr 24:15:1354733.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1354733. eCollection 2024.

Phase angle at bioelectric impedance analysis is associated with detrimental sperm quality in idiopathic male infertility: a preliminary clinical study

Annalisa Liprino  1 , Filippo Giacone  1 , Debora Lombardo  1 , Maria Giovanna Asmundo  2 , Giorgio Ivan Russo  1   2 , Ali Saber Abdelhameed  3 , Sebastiano Cimino  2 , Antonino Guglielmino  1 , Sandrine Chamayou  1
Affiliations

Phase angle at bioelectric impedance analysis is associated with detrimental sperm quality in idiopathic male infertility: a preliminary clinical study

Annalisa Liprino et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: In 2020, 38% of adults were affected by obesity, while infertility globally affected 1 in 6 people at some stage of their lives.Body mass index (BMI) provides an easy but occasionally inaccurate estimation of body composition. To achieve a more precise assessment, bioelectric impedance analysis serves as a validated tool that administers electrical energy through surface electrodes. Phase angle as a function of the relationship between tissues resistance and reactance, is a trustworthy predictor of body composition and cell membrane integrity.

Objectives: We aim to assess whether there is an association between phase angle and seminal parameters, as well as sperm DNA fragmentation percentage.

Design: Semen samples of 520 idiopathic infertile patients were analyzed according to 2021 World Health Organization guidelines and evaluated for sperm DNA fragmentation rate. Each participants underwent bioelectric impedance analysis.

Results: Median age was 40 years old, median BMI was 26.3 kg/m2, median phase angle was 6.2°. In the logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and total intracorporeal water, phase angle (continuous) was significantly associated with oligozoospermia (odds ratio [OR]:0.4; p<0.01) and sperm morphology (OR: 0.65; p=0.05) and slightly with sperm DNA fragmentation (OR: 0.98; p=0.07). In subgroup analysis, the logistic regression analysis adjusted for the mentioned parameters showed that a phase angle between 6.2 and 7 (°) (OR: 0.63; p=0.02) and >7 (°) (OR: 0.12; p<0.01) were associated with a reduced risk of oligozoospermia compared to values <6.2 (°). Similarly, a phase angle between 6.2 and 7 (°) (OR: 0.57; p< 0.01 and OR: 0.58; p= 0.01) and PA > 7 (°) (OR: 0.12; p= 0.03 and OR: 0.21; p< 0.01) were associated with a reduced risk of lower sperm concentration and lower total sperm count, respectively, compared to a phase angle < 6.2 (°).

Conclusion: Our study suggests a negative association between phase angle and detrimental sperm parameters in male idiopathic infertility.

Keywords: bioelectric impedance analysis; male infertility; phase angle; semen analysis; sperm DNA fragmentation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatter plot graph between phase angle and SDF (A) and TSC (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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