Environ Health Perspect. 1978 Jun;24:81-5. doi: 10.1289/ehp.782481.
In view of the well known sensitivity of the seminiferous epithelium to various stress factors and to chemicals one would expect that semen analyses would be part of many screening programs to detect dangerous chemicals and environmental hazards. This is not the case, and our knowledge about the production and functional properties of human spermatozoa is mainly based on analyses of specimens from men with barren marriages. A more common use of semen analyses should enable us to better define the normal limits for many of the potentially relevant variables. Due consideration must, however, also be given the time for spermatogenesis and for transit through the epididymis as well as the influence of seminal plasma factors on many functional properties of the spermatozoa. From the scanty information available one can already now presume that careful analyses of motility and morphology of the spermatozoa under standardized conditions will be of help in the early detection of environmental hazards. A more common use of methods for the assessment of such functional properties of the spermatozoa as structural stability, membrane permeability, metabolism, and resistance to physical stress will give additional information about the effects of chemicals and other factors. To exploit these potential methods for the early detection of environmental hazards there is, however, also a need of a changed attitude towards semen analysis from the medical profession as well as from the public.
鉴于生精上皮对各种应激因素和化学物质的敏感性是众所周知的，人们可能会期望精液分析将成为许多检测危险化学物质和环境危害的筛选计划的一部分。但事实并非如此，我们对人类精子的产生和功能特性的了解主要是基于对不育婚姻男性标本的分析。更频繁地使用精液分析应该使我们能够更好地定义许多潜在相关变量的正常范围。然而，也必须考虑到精子发生和通过附睾的时间，以及精液因素对精子许多功能特性的影响。从现有的少量信息中，人们现在已经可以推测，在标准化条件下仔细分析精子的运动和形态将有助于早期发现环境危害。更频繁地使用评估精子结构稳定性、膜通透性、代谢和抗物理应激等功能特性的方法将提供有关化学物质和其他因素影响的更多信息。然而，要利用这些潜在的方法来早期发现环境危害，医学专业人士以及公众也需要改变对精液分析的态度。
