Reproductive BioMedicine Online
Volume 19, Issue 6 , Pages 770-777, December 2009

Phosphatidylserine translocation in human spermatozoa from impaired spermatogenesis

  • C Almeida

      Affiliations

    • Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence:
    • ,
  • M Sousa

      Affiliations

    • Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
    • Centre for Reproductive Genetics Alberto Barros, 4100-009 Porto, Portugal
    • Laboratory of Cell Biology, ICBAS-Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 1099-003 Porto, Portugal
    • ,
  • A Barros

      Affiliations

    • Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
    • Centre for Reproductive Genetics Alberto Barros, 4100-009 Porto, Portugal

Received 27 February 2009; received in revised form 30 March 2009; accepted 8 September 2009. published online 02 August 2010.

Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.

Abstract 

The aim of the present study was to evaluate phosphatidylserine translocation in specific patient groups and compare the rates of apoptosis between ejaculated and testicular spermatozoa. Fifty-six patients undergoing infertility treatments were included in the present study. Semen samples (n=37) were obtained from cases with normozoospermia (n=9) and abnormal semen parameters (n=28). Testicular biopsy was performed in 19 patients, eight with obstructive and six with non-obstructive (hypospermatogenesis) azoospermia, and in five patients without azoospermia (anejaculation and oligozoospermia). Phosphatidylserine externalization was assessed using annexin-V binding and fluorescence microscopy, and propidium iodide exclusion tests were used to distinguish live from dead cells. In semen, oligoasthenoteratozoospermia showed significantly increased rates of sperm apoptosis (60.3±12.9) than normozoospermia (47.5±10.2). In testis, hypospermatogenesis (63.3±10.3) and obstructive azoospermia (63.6±15.1) showed significantly increased rates of sperm apoptosis than non-azoospermic patients (49.6±25.5). Comparisons between semen and testis showed that oligozoospermia had significantly higher rates of sperm apoptosis in semen (57.9±11.9) than in testis (29.4±1.1). The results suggest the presence of a post-testicular apoptotic induction factor and the potential beneficial use of testicular spermatozoa in clinical treatments.

Keywords: anejaculation, annexin-V, azoospermia, human sperm apoptosis, oligozoospermia

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 Carolina Almeida obtained her degree in biology in 1997 from the University of Porto, Portugal. She has been working in the area of human genetics, including the study of male and female infertility and some genetic diseases, since 2002. At present, and simultaneously with a laboratory position, she is finishing her PhD at the Department of Genetics of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto.Carolina Almeida

PII: S1472-6483(09)00144-8

doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2009.10.002

Reproductive BioMedicine Online
Volume 19, Issue 6 , Pages 770-777, December 2009

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