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Correlation Between Elemental Composition and Motility of Human Spermatozoa

1977; Elsevier BV; Volume: 28; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0015-0282(16)42557-4

1556-5653

S. Battersby, John Chandler,

Sperm and Testicular Function

X-ray microanalysis of human sperm cells in donor semen having a range of motilities from 0% to 85% showed that elemental composition is not strongly correlated with spermatozoal motility. Only copper in the midpiece was positively correlated with motility when high- and low-fertility groups were compared. Aging of cells in semen caused large changes in subcellular elemental concentrations as motility decreased, notably with uptake of zinc, but these changes were not reflected in the range of motilities in the clinical samples. Electrolyte balance as measured by sodium to potassium ratios also appeared not to be correlated with motility. Subcellular elemental distribution is not a major factor in determining sperm motility in normal human semen.A possible correlation between the elemental composition of human spermatozoa and sperm motility was investigated. X-ray microanalysis did not reveal any strong correlation between sperm motilities of C-85% and elemental composition. However, when high- and low-fertility samples were compared, a significant (p less than .025) correlation was found between copper in the midpiece region and motility. As cells aged and motility decreased, there were considerable changes in subcellular elemental concentrations, particularly with regard to zinc uptake. However, these changes were not correlated with the range of motilities. No apparent correlation was found between electrolyte balance, as determined by sodium to potassium ratios, and motility. It is concluded that the subcellular distribution of elements in semen is not a determining factor in sperm motility.