Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 3 , Pages 831-837 , March 2009

Apoptosis-related phenotype of ejaculated spermatozoa in patients with varicocele

  • Gwo-Jang Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Department of Biomedical Engineering, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Gwo-Jang Wu, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 5F, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Rd, Niheu, Taipei 114, Taiwan (FAX: 886-2-87927207).
    • ,
  • Fung-Wei Chang, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Shang-Sen Lee, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ya-Yuan Cheng, M.Sc.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Chi-Huang Chen, M.Sc.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • I-Ching Chen, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan

Received 25 September 2007 ,Revised 18 December 2007 ,Accepted 18 December 2007.

References 

  1. Dahl EV, Herrick JF. A vascular mechanism for maintaining testicular temperature by counter-current exchange. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1959;108:697–705
  2. Brown JS, Dubin L, Hotchkiss RS. The varicocele as related to fertility. Fertil Steril. 1967;18:46–56
  3. Goldstein M, Eid JF. Elevation of intratesticular and scrotal skin surface temperature in men with varicocele. J Urol. 1989;142:743–745
  4. Hendin BN, Kolettis PN, Sharma RK, Thomas AJ, Agarwal A. Varicocele is associated with elevated spermatozoal reactive oxygen species production and diminished seminal plasma antioxidant capacity. J Urol. 1999;161:1831–1834
  5. Simsek F, Turkeri L, Cevik I, Bircan K, Akdas A. Role of apoptosis in testicular tissue damage caused by varicocele. Arch Esp Urol. 1998;51:947–950
  6. Dubin L, Amelar RD. Varicocelectomy: 986 cases in a twelve-year study. Urology. 1977;10:446–449
  7. Gorelick JI, Goldstein M. Loss of fertility in men with varicocele. Fertil Steril. 1993;59:613–616
  8. Witt MA, Lipshultz LI. Varicocele: a progressive or static lesion?. Urology. 1993;42:541–543
  9. Ku JH, Shim HB, Kim SW, Paick JS. The role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of varicocele. BJU Int. 2005;96:1092–1096
  10. Flesch FM, Gadella BM. Dynamics of the mammalian sperm plasma membrane in the process of fertilization. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000;1469:197–235
  11. Cross NL, Hanks SE. Effects of cryopreservation on human sperm acrosomes. Hum Reprod. 1991;6:1279–1283
  12. Vermes I, Haanen C, Steffens-Nakken H, Reutelingsperger C. A novel assay for apoptosis. Flow cytometric detection of phosphatidylserine expression on early apoptotic cells using fluorescein labelled Annexin V. J Immunol Methods. 1995;184:39–51
  13. Sakkas D, Mariethoz E, St John JC. Abnormal sperm parameters in humans are indicative of an abortive apoptotic mechanism linked to the Fas-mediated pathway. Exp Cell Res. 1999;251:350–355
  14. Sakkas D, Seli E, Manicardi GC, Nijs M, Ombelet W, Bizzaro D. The presence of abnormal spermatozoa in the ejaculate: did apoptosis fail?. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2004;7:99–103
  15. Tesarik J, Greco E, Cohen-Bacrie P, Mendoza C. Germ cell apoptosis in men with complete and incomplete spermiogenesis failure. Mol Hum Reprod. 1998;4:757–762
  16. Barroso G, Morshedi M, Oehninger S. Analysis of DNA fragmentation, plasma membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine and oxidative stress in human spermatozoa. Hum Reprod. 2000;15:1338–1344
  17. Schuffner A, Morshedi M, Vaamonde D, Duran EH, Oehninger S. Effect of different incubation conditions on phosphatidylserine externalization and motion parameters of purified fractions of highly motile human spermatozoa. J Androl. 2002;23:194–201
  18. Shen HM, Dai J, Chia SE, Lim A, Ong CN. Detection of apoptotic alterations in sperm in subfertile patients and their correlations with sperm quality. Hum Reprod. 2002;17:1266–1273
  19. Paasch U, Grunewald S, Fitzl G, Glander HJ. Deterioration of plasma membrane is associated with activated caspases in human spermatozoa. J Androl. 2003;24:246–252
  20. Martin SJ, Reutelingsperger CP, McGahon AJ, Rader JA, van Schie RC, LaFace DM, et al. Early redistribution of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine is a general feature of apoptosis regardless of the initiating stimulus: inhibition by overexpression of Bcl-2 and Abl. J Exp Med. 1995;182:1545–1556
  21. Arends MJ, Wyllie AH. Apoptosis: mechanisms and roles in pathology. Int Rev Exp Pathol. 1991;32:223–254
  22. Barroso G, Taylor S, Morshedi M, Manzur F, Gavino F, Oehninger S. Mitochondrial membrane potential integrity and plasma membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine as early apoptotic markers: a comparison of two different sperm subpopulations. Fertil Steril. 2006;85:149–154
  23. Saleh RA, Agarwal A, Sharma RK, Said TM, Sikka SC, Thomas AJ. Evaluation of nuclear DNA damage in spermatozoa from infertile men with varicocele. Fertil Steril. 2003;80:1431–1436
  24. Benoff SH, Millan C, Hurley IR, Napolitano B, Marmar JL. Bilateral increased apoptosis and bilateral accumulation of cadmium in infertile men with left varicocele. Hum Reprod. 2004;19:616–627
  25. Bertolla RP, Cedenho AP, Hassun Filho PA, Lima SB, Ortiz V, Srougi M. Sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation in adolescents with varicocele. Fertil Steril. 2006;85:625–628
  26. Benchaib M, Braun V, Lornage J, Hadj S, Salle B, Lejeune H, et al. Sperm DNA fragmentation decreases the pregnancy rate in an assisted reproductive technique. Hum Reprod. 2003;18:1023–1028
  27. Sakkas D, Moffatt O, Manicardi GC, Mariethoz E, Tarozzi N, Bizzaro D. Nature of DNA damage in ejaculated human spermatozoa and the possible involvement of apoptosis. Biol Reprod. 2002;66:1061–1067
  28. Larson-Cook KL, Brannian JD, Hansen KA, Kasperson KM, Aamold ET, Evenson DP. Relationship between the outcomes of assisted reproductive techniques and sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by the sperm chromatin structure assay. Fertil Steril. 2003;80:895–902
  29. Duran EH, Morshedi M, Taylor S, Oehninger S. Sperm DNA quality predicts intrauterine insemination outcome: a prospective cohort study. Hum Reprod. 2002;17:3122–3128
  30. Tanaka H, Fujisawa M, Tanaka H, Okada H, Kamidono S. Apoptosis-related proteins in the testes of infertile men with varicocele. BJU Int. 2002;89:905–909
  31. Chen CH, Lee SS, Chen DC, Chien HH, Chen IC, Chu YN, et al. Apoptosis and kinematics of ejaculated spermatozoa in patients with varicocele. J Androl. 2004;25:348–353
  32. Lue YH, Hikim AP, Swerdloff RS, Im P, Taing KS, Bui T, et al. Single exposure to heat induces stage-specific germ cell apoptosis in rats: role of intratesticular testosterone on stage specificity. Endocrinology. 1999;140:1709–1717
  33. Castedo M, Ferri K, Roumier T, Metivier D, Zamzami N, Kroemer G. Quantitation of mitochondrial alterations associated with apoptosis. J Immunol Methods. 2002;265:39–47
  34. Bodey B, Bodey B, Kaiser HE. Apoptosis in the mammalian thymus during normal histogenesis and under various in vitro and in vivo experimental conditions. In Vivo. 1998;12:123–133
  35. Bowen JR, Gibson FL, Leslie GI, Saunders DM. Medical and developmental outcome at 1 year for children conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Lancet. 1998;351:1529–1534
  36. Bonduelle M, Camus M, De Vos A, Staessen C, Tournaye H, Van Assche E, et al. Seven years of intracytoplasmic sperm injection and follow-up of 1987 subsequent children. Hum Reprod. 1999;14:243–264

 G.-J.W. has nothing to disclose. F.-W.C. has nothing to disclose. S.-S.L. has nothing to disclose. C.-H.C. has nothing to disclose.

 Supported by grant TSGH-C93-03-S05 from Tri-Service General Hospital and grant NSC 94-2314-B-016-043 from the National Science Council (both, Taipei, Taiwan).

PII: S0015-0282(07)04344-0

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.12.058

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 3 , Pages 831-837 , March 2009

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution