M. Plante et al., REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES RELEASED BY ACTIVATED NEUTROPHILS, BUT NOT BYDEFICIENT SPERMATOZOA, ARE SUFFICIENT TO AFFECT NORMAL SPERM MOTILITY, Fertility and sterility, 62(2), 1994, pp. 387-393
Objectives: To determine whether reactive oxygen species (ROS) produce
d by abnormal or deficient spermatozoa and polymorphonuclear leukocyte
s (PMN, activated or not) can affect normal sperm motility. To determi
ne what level of ROS is detrimental to spermatozoa. Subjects: Patients
consulting the Infertility Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital and
healthy volunteers. Methods: Normal spermatozoa (not producing ROS) we
re incubated with ROS-producing spermatozoa or PMN (activated or not),
and motility was analyzed using a computer-aided sperm analysis syste
m. The proportion of ROS produced by spermatozoa and released extracel
lularly was estimated by the decrease in the chemiluminescence observe
d in the presence of catalase and superoxide dismutase. Results: There
was no consistent effect on motility when ROS-producing and non-ROS-p
roducing spermatozoa were mixed. This lack of effect could be due to t
he relatively low level of ROS produced by spermatozoa as well as the
fact that only a third of these ROS are released outside spermatozoa.
To cause a low but significant decrease (15 +/- 4%) in sperm motility
after a 5-hour incubation, the level of ROS imposed on spermatozoa mus
t be equivalent to ROS released by 1 X 10(6) activated PMN/mL. Conclus
ions: The production of ROS by deficient spermatozoa is low and of no
consequence to the motility of normal spermatozoa present in the same
sperm preparation. However, 1 X 10(6) activated PMN/mL, with a 1,000-f
old higher ROS production, have detrimental effects on the motility of
normal washed spermatozoa.