Semen quality of 324 fertile Japanese men

Iwamoto, Teruaki; Nozawa, Shiari; Yoshiike, Miki; Hoshino, Takao; Baba, Katsuyuki; Matsushita, Toshiko; Tanaka, Noriko; Naka, M.; Skakkebæk, Niels E.; Jørgensen, Niels

doi:10.1093/humrep/dei362

Cited by 71 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Regional differences in semen quality, possibly associated with environmental exposures or lifestyle, may explain this finding, as has been reported in Europe (33), the US (34), and Japan (35).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Gonad evaluation in male systemic lupus erythematosus

Soares¹,

Borba²,

Bonfá³

et al. 2007

Arthritis & Rheumatism

108

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Objective. To assess gonad function in male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. Thirty-five consecutive male patients with SLE according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology were prospectively evaluated for demographic and clinical features as well as previous and current treatment. Patients underwent urologic evaluation and testicular Doppler ultrasound. We obtained a hormone profile and performed a semen analysis including morphology and testing for the presence of antisperm antibodies. Patients were compared with 35 age-matched healthy controls.Results. Compared with controls, SLE patients had lower median testicular volumes in both testes, a lower median total sperm count, and a lower median total motile sperm count. The mean sperm volume and percentage of normally formed sperm were lower in SLE patients than in controls. Since all SLE patients had semen alterations, they were further subdivided into 2 groups according to the severity of these abnormalities (group 1, with teratozoospermia [n ‫؍‬ 18], and group 2, with azoospermia or teratozoospermia in combination with oligozoospermia and/or asthenozoospermia [n ‫؍‬ 17]). The frequency of treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide (IV CYC) after the first ejaculation was higher in group 2 than in group 1. The median testicular volumes measured by ultrasound in both testicles were lower in group 2 than in group 1. Follicle-stimulating hormone levels were higher in group 2 than in group 1. The overall frequency of antisperm antibodies in SLE patients was 40%. The apparent higher frequency of antisperm antibodies in group 1 than in group 2 did not reach significance.Conclusion. SLE patients have a high frequency of sperm abnormalities associated with reduced testicular volume. Postpubertal IV CYC treatment was the major factor in potential permanent damage to the testes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Gonad evaluation in male systemic lupus erythematosus

Soares¹,

Borba²,

Bonfá³

et al. 2007

Arthritis & Rheumatism

108

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“…Kuriyama et al (2005) have reported that developmental exposure to a single low dose (60 µg/kg body weight) of 2,2′,4,4′,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (PeBDE-99) decreased the sperm count in male Wistar rats. However, no previous studies have examined the relationship between human PBDE levels and sperm quality.We participated in an international project examining the sperm quality of fertile males and found that the sperm concentration of Japanese males was lower than that of European males (Iwamoto et al, 2006). The examination of sperm quality and an estimation of the concentration of chemicals in the serum would be required to reveal the correlation between chemical exposure and the sperm quality in Japanese males.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Human Serum and Sperm Quality

Akutsu

Takatori

Nozawa

et al. 2008

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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128

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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used flame retardants; currently, they are identified as ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Several studies indicate that PBDEs might affect male fertility. We present the results of a pilot study on the relationship between human serum PBDEs and sperm quality. The PBDE levels in Japan are comparable to those found in European countries. Strong inverse correlations were observed between the serum concentration of 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexabromodiphenyl ether and sperm concentration (r = -0.841, p = 0.002) and testis size (r = -0.764, p = 0.01). Extensive studies on the relationship between PBDEs and sperm quality are required.Keywords: polybrominated diphenyl ethers; flame retardants; human serum; sperm. * Correspondence to: Kazuhiko Akutsu Phone: +81-6-6972-1321 FAX: +81-6-6972-2393 E-mail: akutu@iph.pref.osaka. jp 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in the production of common consumer products such as electronics, furniture, and textiles. PBDEs are currently recognized as environmental pollutants of global concern because their levels in the environment and in humans have increased markedly over the past several decades (Meironyté et al., 1999;Ikonomou et al., 2002;Akutsu et al., 2003). Since PBDEs are somewhat structurally similar to thyroid hormones such as thyroxine (T4), it was speculated that PBDEs might mimic thyroid hormones and disrupt thyroid homeostasis. Several studies indicate that exposure to PBDEs can decrease the circulating levels of T4 in laboratory animals (Fowles et al., 1994;Zhou et al., 2002) and can cause permanent neurological effects similar to those associated with thyroid hormone deficiencies (Eriksson et al., 2001;Viberg et al., 2004). In addition, several PBDEs possess weak estrogenic/antiestrogenic activities (Meerts et al., 2001). The proliferation and differentiation of Sertoli cells and sperm production are regulated by thyroid and sex hormones. Thus, PBDEs might affect male reproductive health by interfering with the thyroid-and sex-hormone functions. Kuriyama et al. (2005) have reported that developmental exposure to a single low dose (60 µg/kg body weight) of 2,2′,4,4′,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (PeBDE-99) decreased the sperm count in male Wistar rats. However, no previous studies have examined the relationship between human PBDE levels and sperm quality.We participated in an international project examining the sperm quality of fertile males and found that the sperm concentration of Japanese males was lower than that of European males (Iwamoto et al., 2006). The examination of sperm quality and an estimation of the concentration of chemicals in the serum would be required to reveal the correlation between chemical exposure and the sperm quality in Japanese males. The aim of this pilot study was to measure PBDEs...

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“…Previous data from screened and general populations showed that there are obvious differences in semen quality between continents [6], countries [7] and even different areas in the same country [6,8,9]. Some of the studies also revealed temporal differences [10].…”

Section: Dear Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Profound comments on this regard have been made and published in the Special Issue in Asian Journal of Andrology on "Semen analysis in 21st Century Medicine" in Issue 1 in 2010 [2][3][4][5]. In this letter, I would like to present some of my views and suggestions on reference limits of semen parameters.Previous data from screened and general populations showed that there are obvious differences in semen quality between continents [6], countries [7] and even different areas in the same country [6,8,9]. Some of the studies also revealed temporal differences [10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference limits: limited references in laboratories worldwide

Huang¹

2010

Asian J Androl

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The newly revised World Health Organization (WHO) semen analysis manual provides the lower refe rence limits of semen parameters based on "the raw data from between about 400 and 1 900 semen samples, from recent fathers in eight countries on three continents": Australia, Europe and North America [1]. The other continents, Asia, Africa, and South America, and most regions of the above three continents, such as southern Europe, were not represented in the raw data used to generate the reference limits. To my knowledge, no valid and well-controlled data regarding semen from men whose partners had conceived within the preceding 12 months have been collected from these unrepresented regions. Profound comments on this regard have been made and published in the Special Issue in Asian Journal of Andrology on "Semen analysis in 21st Century Medicine" in Issue 1 in 2010 [2][3][4][5]. In this letter, I would like to present some of my views and suggestions on reference limits of semen parameters.Previous data from screened and general populations showed that there are obvious differences in semen quality between continents [6], countries [7] and even different areas in the same country [6,8,9]. Some of the studies also revealed temporal differences [10]. The underlying reasons were unclear. Temporal and geographical differences in semen quality might reflect differences in environmental factors and, ethnic or genetic backgrounds or a combination of factors. Although more studies are needed to understand the full biological significance of these differences, a study by Joffe et al. [11] suggested that they might be related to differences in fecundity. The observation that spermatogenesis in Asian men appears to be more susceptible to suppression by steroidal contraceptives than that in Caucasian men has been proposed to be related to ethnic differences in testicular structure (smaller testes, reduced number and function of Sertoli cells and reduced daily sperm production) and spermatogenic potential [12]. Differences in reproductive endocrinology between Asian men and Caucasian men have also been suggested [13]. It is possible that more sperm are produced in individuals in some ethnic populations, resulting in higher fecundity. Even in cases of similar levels of sperm production, it is possible that higher fecundity can be achieved by sperm that are better able to fertilise the egg or, conversely, by eggs that are easier to be fertilized. As a result, the fifth centiles (with 95% confidence intervals) from the raw data derived from a population with higher sperm production might be higher. These values would be lower in a population with sperm or eggs that result in higher fecundity. Therefore, it seems highly reasonable to suppose that the reference limits in men whose partners were pregnant within the last 12 months vary among countries with different ethnic backgrounds. Great caution should be taken when using the WHO manual's reference limits

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Semen quality of 324 fertile Japanese men

Cited by 71 publications

References 31 publications

Gonad evaluation in male systemic lupus erythematosus

Gonad evaluation in male systemic lupus erythematosus

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Human Serum and Sperm Quality

Reference limits: limited references in laboratories worldwide

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