成年男性精子线粒体DNA拷贝数及完整性与精液参数的关联研究

目的 分析成年男性精子线粒体DNA(mitochondrial DNA,mtDNA)拷贝数及完整性与常规精液质量参数的关联,探讨精子mtDNA相关指标在反映男性生育力中的作用.方法 采集161例参加男性生殖健康调查的志愿者的精液样本.采用计算机辅助精子分析系统(computer-aided sperm analysis,CASA)进行精液参数分析,Diff-Quick试剂盒染色检测精子形态.实时荧光定量PCR测定精子mtDNA拷贝数,长链PCR检测mtDNA完整性.结果 mtDNA拷贝数与常规精液参数包括精液体积、精子密度、精子总数、前向运动率、精子活率和精子正常形态率均呈负相关(r=-0.168、-0.452、-0.474、-0.189、-0.306、-0.235,P均＜0.05).除精子前向运动率外,mtDNA完整性与其余常规精液参数均呈正相关(r =0.193、0.379、0.480、0.325、0.282,P均＜0.05).采用多元线性回归分析调整混杂因素后,mtDNA相关指标与精子密度、精子总数、精子活率和正常形态率之间的相关性仍然存在.结论 mtDNA拷贝数和mtDNA完整性与常规精液质量参数之间存在关联,mtDNA相关指标可能是反映精子质量的生物标志物.

Correlation of sperm mitochondrial DNA copy number and integrity with semen parameters in male adults

Objective To analyze the association of sperm mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and mtDNA integrity with semen quality parameters and investigate the role of the sperm mtDNA-related indicators in assessing fertility in male adults.Methods We collected semen samples from 161 male adult volunteers in a male reproductive health survey.The routine semen parameters were examined using a computer-aided sperm analysis system (CASA),and Diff-Quick kit was used to evaluate the sperm morphology.Quantitative long polymerase chain reaction (L-PCR) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) were used to assess the mtDNA integrity and detect mtDNA copy number in the spermatozoa.Results We found inverse correlations of sperm mtDNA copy number with the semen volume,sperm concentration,total sperm count,progressive motile sperm count,total motility and the rate of normal sperm morphology (r =-0.168,-0.452,-0.474,-0.189,-0.306,-0.235,all P ＜ 0.05).Sperm mtDNA integrity was positively correlated with the semen volume,sperm concentration,total sperm count,total motility and the rate of normal sperm morphology (r =0.193,0.379,0.480,0.325,0.282,all P ＜ 0.05) except for progressive motile sperm count.Multiple linear regression analysis showed significant correlations of mtDNA copy number and mtDNA integrity with the sperm concentration,total sperm count,sperm motility,and the rate of normal sperm morphology after adjustment for the confounders.Conclusion Sperm mtDNA copy number and mtDNA integrity are significantly correlated with the routine semen quality parameters,suggesting that these two mtDNA-related indicators may serve as potential biomarkers for assessing sperm quality in male adults.