Biology and Medicine

Abstrait

Evaluation of seminal plasma antioxidant and serum male hormone status in infertile patients with unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities

Assila Hadj Ali, Meriem Mahdi, Tesnim Ajina, Ali Saad and Habib Ben Ali

Background: Male infertility appears to be a major clinical problem in men of reproductive age in all societies. Idiopathic male infertility is considered a multifactorial disorder affected by genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. Oxidative stress seems to stand out as one of the underlying mechanisms. In this context, we aimed to evaluate seminal plasma antioxidants SOD (superoxide dismutase), GPx (glutathione peroxidase), CAT (catalase) and zinc levels, hormone levels and semen parameters in fertile donors and patients with unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities.
Methods: Semen samples from 119 patients with unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities and 30 fertile men were analyzed according to the World Health Organization guidelines (2010). All patients underwent measurement of testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). Seminal plasma antioxidant activities of SOD, GPx, CAT, and zinc concentration were measured using colorimetric methods.
Results and Conclusion: Hormonal analysis showed a statistically significant increase in FSH and LH levels in all patients (p<0.001). However, a significant decrease in serum testosterone level was observed in patients compared to the fertile group (p<0.05). Evaluation of the seminal antioxidant system revealed a significant decrease in CAT, GPx, SOD, and zinc activities in the infertile group compared to the fertile group (p<0.05). Our study showed that patients with unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities had significant alterations in the antioxidant system and significant disruption of hormonal levels that interfere with fertility. These alterations may be due to a loss or disruption of chromosomal segments containing genes involved in the regulation of these systems.