Tavalaee Marziyeh, Kiani-Esfahani Abbas, Nasr-Esfahani Mohammad H
a Department of Reproductive Biotechnology , Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology , ACECR , Isfahan , Iran.
b Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center , Isfahan , Iran.
Syst Biol Reprod Med. 2017 Aug;63(4):259-268. doi: 10.1080/19396368.2017.1298006. Epub 2017 Mar 27.
The need for additional tests to complement basic sperm analysis in clinics is well appreciated. In this regard, a number of tests such as sperm DNA integrity test as a tool in diagnosis and treatment of infertility are suggested. But recent studies have focused on main sperm factors involved in oocyte activation such as phospholipase C-zeta (PLCζ) that initiate intracellular Ca signaling and embryogenesis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between PLCζ, basic semen parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), and protamine deficiency in men with normal (n=32) and abnormal (n=23) semen parameters. Unlike SDF and protamine deficiency, as negative factors related to fertility, the mean value of PLCζ as positive factor related to infertility was significantly lower in men with abnormal semen parameters compared to men with normal semen parameters. Significant correlations were also observed between sperm concentration, motility, and abnormal morphology with the percentage of PLCζ positive spermatozoa. In addition, logistic regression analysis revealed that sperm morphology is more predictive than sperm motility and concentration for PLCζ presence. In addition, a statistically significant negative relationship was observed between the percentage of PLCζ positive spermatozoa and SDF. These findings suggested during ICSI, selection of sperm based on morphology has a profound effect on its ability to induce oocyte activation based on the likelihood of PLCζ expression. Therefore, assessment of PLCζ as an index for fertilization potential of a semen sample in men with severe teratozoospermia may define individuals who are candidates for artificial oocyte activation (AOA) and may avoid failed fertilization post ICSI.
临床上需要额外的检测来补充基本的精子分析，这一点已得到充分认识。在这方面，有人建议进行一些检测，比如将精子DNA完整性检测作为不孕症诊断和治疗的一种手段。但最近的研究聚焦于参与卵母细胞激活的主要精子因子，如引发细胞内钙信号传导和胚胎发生的磷脂酶C-ζ（PLCζ）。因此，本研究旨在调查正常精液参数男性（n = 32）和异常精液参数男性（n = 23）中PLCζ、基本精液参数、精子DNA碎片率（SDF）和鱼精蛋白缺乏之间的关系。与作为生育相关负面因素的SDF和鱼精蛋白缺乏不同，作为与不育相关的正面因素，精液参数异常男性的PLCζ平均值显著低于精液参数正常的男性。精子浓度、活力和异常形态与PLCζ阳性精子百分比之间也存在显著相关性。此外，逻辑回归分析显示，对于PLCζ的存在，精子形态比精子活力和浓度更具预测性。此外，还观察到PLCζ阳性精子百分比与SDF之间存在统计学上的显著负相关。这些发现表明，在卵胞浆内单精子注射（ICSI）过程中，基于形态选择精子对其诱导卵母细胞激活的能力有深远影响，这取决于PLCζ表达的可能性。因此，对于严重畸形精子症男性，将PLCζ作为精液样本受精潜力的指标进行评估，可能会确定哪些个体适合进行人工卵母细胞激活（AOA），并可能避免ICSI后受精失败。
