(203) Impact of Smoking on Sperm Chromatin Integrity
Authors: Ammar A , El-Mohamady A E , Abdo H , El-Shahid A 
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Semen analysis is an essential component of infertility evaluation, but it may still fail to detect subtle sperm defects present in patients with male factor infertility. Although estimates vary, approximately 15% of patients with male factor infertility have normal spermiograms It is necessary to identify diagnostic measures for male infertility that are easy to perform, inexpensive, and provide an accurate diagnosis. Tests that assess sperm quality should not only identify the ability of spermatozoa to reach the oocyte but also their ability to fertilize the oocyte and activate embryo growth. The estimation of sperm DNA damage fills the above need in the diagnosis of male infertility Abnormalities in the male genome characterized by damaged sperm DNA may be indicative for male subfertility regardless of routine semen parameters, and these parameters do not reveal sperm DNA defects Men with normal semen analysis may also have a high degree of DNA fragmentation, which can be a major cause of undiagnosed/unexplained infertility. Sperm DNA fragmentation may result from aberrant chromatin packaging during spermatogenesis, defective apoptosis before ejaculation or excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the ejaculate.

Objective

To study the impact of cigarette smoking on sperm chromatin integrity in infertile patients.

Methods

The present study included eighty infertile male patients recruited from the Andrology Outpatient Clinic at Al-Azhar University Hospitals The patients were divided into two groups: - Group I: forty nonsmoker infertile males. (Control Group). Group II: forty cigarette smoker infertile males. (Study Group)

Results

The current study revealed that smoking increases the abnormality of sperm chromatin integrity in sperms of smokers. This is evident by the positive correlation of increased head stainability of sperms in smokers compared to nonsmokers. The value of partially stained sperm heads using aniline blue is calculated from the total staining score formula, this score was found to increase significantly among smokers in comparison to nonsmokers. In the present study, the increased severity of smoking (smoking index), was not correlated with the degree of sperm head stainability. This mean that, smoking insult on sperm chromatin integrity is crucial regardless the duration or the amount of the consumed cigarettes

Conclusions

There is a significant increase of sperm chromatin damage in smoker infertile patients than nonsmoker infertile patients and these damages may affect the quality of the ejaculated spermatozoa and decrease their fertility potential. Not only semen parameters but also sperm chromatin condensation is affected significantly by smoking. Aniline blue staining is an effective and inexpensive tool for assessment of the fertilization potentiality of infertile patients. A significant correlation was found between the percentage of spermatozoa with normal sperm chromatin condensation and normal morphology. Cigarette smoking may have a negative impact on sperm quality and DNA integrity. Therefore, it would be advisable for men to abstain from smoking to avoid decreased fertility.

Disclosure

No.