Relationship of seminal plasma antioxidants and serum male hormones with sperm chromatin status in male factor infertility.

We explored the relationship between sperm chromatin integrity, hormone levels, seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and routine sperm parameters in men with male factor (MF, n = 81) and non-male factor (NMF, n = 52) infertility. Semen and blood were collected and examined from men undergoing evaluation for infertility in the Avicenna Infertility Clinic. We have examined each patient for serum hormones (LH, FSH, E2, DHEA), sperm chromatin damage, level of protamination and seminal plasma TAC. Levels of FSH, LH, sperm chromatin damage, and abnormal protamination were significantly higher in MF vs. NMF groups (p < 0.001). Sperm chromatin damage was correlated with percentage of CMA(3)- positive sperm (r = 0.64, p < 0.001) and with sperm concentration (r = -0.36, p < 0.001), motility (r = -0.21, p < 0.05), and morphologically normal spermatozoa (r = -0.29, p < 0.001). Linear regression showed sperm chromatin damage was related to percentage of CMA(3)- positive sperm (p < 0.001) in ungrouped patients. It was related to both percentage of CMA(3)- positive sperm and serum DHEA in the MF group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). Sperm chromatin maturity assessed by CMA(3) test was inversely related to sperm chromatin damage assessed by the toludine blue assay. Male factor infertility associated with sperm chromatin damage may be related to sperm protamination and to serum DHEA.