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Purpose: The aim of study was to evaluate reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and ROS-TAC score as indicator for oxidative stress status as well as 8-hydrodeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels as a marker for DNA damage in the seminal plasma of asthenozoospermia patients compared to normozoospermia samples.
Materials and Methods: The semen samples of 28 fertile normozoospermic donors and 25 infertile men with asthenozoospermia were analyzed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. ROS production was measured in neat semen samples by the chemiluminescent assay. Plasma levels of TAC was measured by commercially available colorimetric assays. The levels of DNA oxidative damage were measured by seminal plasma levels of 8-OHdG using ELISA method. ROS-TAC score was measured using principal component analysis.
Results: Asthenozoospermic men had a higher ROS levels compared to the normozoospermic men (P = .01). However, no significant difference was observed in TAC levels between the groups. ROS-TAC score in asthenozoospermic men was lower than normozoospermic men (P = .02). The levels of 8-OHdG in the asthenozoospermic men were higher than normozoospermic men (P = .01).
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a decrease in ROS-TAC score and, a high DNA damage in asthenozoospermia compared to normozoospermia. ROS-TAC score can predict the oxidative damage of semen samples of astenozoospermic infertile males.
Keywords: asthenozoospermia; DNA damage; reactive oxygen species; ROS-TAC score; total antioxidant capacity; 8-OHdG.
INTRODUCTION
Asthenozoospermia is one of the common causes of male infertility which is characterized by poor sperm motility because of various etiology such as physiological, anatomical, medical, genetic and dietary factors (1,2). Physiological amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is required for motility promotion, hyperactivation, capacitation, acrosome reaction, nuclear condensation as well as gamete fusion(3-5). Nevertheless, ROS in pathological levels can damage sperm's function and male fertility by reduction in sperm motility mostly through depletion of intracellular ATP and lipid peroxidation of plasma membrane1-6^.
Excessive concentrations of ROS in semen can be scavenged by the cumulative sum of the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants called total antioxidant capacity (TAC)(8). Some studies showed a positive correlation between TAC levels and normal semen parameters (940). When generation of ROS exceeds, the balance between ROS generation and TAC could be distributed, and consequently, oxidative stress (OS) would be occurred. ROS-TAC score...