Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia.
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 7;22(9):4979. doi: 10.3390/ijms22094979.
Significant antibacterial properties of non-thermal plasma (NTP) have converted this technology into a promising alternative to the widespread use of antibiotics in assisted reproduction. As substantial data available on the specific in vitro effects of NTP on male reproductive cells are currently missing, this study was designed to investigate selected quality parameters of human spermatozoa (n = 51) exposed to diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge NTP for 0 s, 15 s, 30 s, 60 s and 90 s. Sperm motility characteristics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were investigated immediately following exposure to NTP and 2 h post-NTP treatment. Exposure to NTP with a power input of 40 W for 15 s or 30 s was found to have no negative effects on the sperm structure or function. However, a prolonged NTP treatment impaired all the sperm quality markers in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The most likely mechanism of action of high NTP doses may be connected to ROS overproduction, leading to plasma membrane destabilization, LPO, mitochondrial failure and a subsequent loss of motility as well as DNA integrity. As such, our findings indicate that appropriate plasma exposure conditions need to be carefully selected in order to preserve the sperm vitality, should NTP be used in the practical management of bacteriospermia in the future.
非热等离子体（NTP）具有显著的抗菌特性，已将这项技术转化为抗生素在辅助生殖中广泛应用的有前途的替代品。由于目前缺乏关于 NTP 对男性生殖细胞的具体体外影响的大量数据，因此本研究旨在研究暴露于扩散共面表面屏障放电 NTP 0 s、15 s、30 s、60 s 和 90 s 的人精子（n = 51）的选定质量参数。在暴露于 NTP 后立即和 NTP 处理后 2 小时，研究了精子运动特性、膜完整性、线粒体活性、活性氧物质（ROS）的产生、DNA 碎片化和脂质过氧化（LPO）。发现以 40 W 的功率输入暴露于 NTP 15 s 或 30 s 不会对精子结构或功能产生负面影响。然而，长时间的 NTP 处理会以时间和剂量依赖的方式损害所有精子质量标志物。高 NTP 剂量的可能作用机制可能与 ROS 过度产生有关，导致质膜不稳定、LPO、线粒体衰竭以及随后的运动丧失和 DNA 完整性丧失。因此，我们的研究结果表明，应该仔细选择适当的等离子体暴露条件，以在将来使用 NTP 实际管理细菌性精子症时保持精子活力。
