Effect of zinc on sperm recovered by swim-up.

Ahead of Print

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 9206495 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-7330 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10580468 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Assist Reprod Genet Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2004- >: Amsterdam : Springer
Original Publication: New York : Plenum Press, c1992-

Purpose: Zinc is known to influence chromatin stability, motility and protection against oxidative stress. While swim-up remains the preferred method for selecting sperm in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), concerns arise regarding sperm DNA fragmentation associated with this procedure. Given zinc's significant role in protecting sperm DNA integrity and motility, we aimed to investigate the impact of zinc supplementation during the swim-up process on sperm quality.
Methods: Semen samples from 203 normozoospermic men were used. Samples were divided into fractions and swim-up procedure was applied using human tubal fluid (mHTF) supplemented with three different concentrations of zinc or medium without supplementation as control. DNA fragmentation, chromatin maturity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, motility and protein phosphorylation levels analyses were addressed to each fraction.
Results: The sperm DNA fragmentation was reduced in sperm recovered by swim-up in media with all concentrations of zinc assayed with respect to the control (p < 0.0001). Aniline blue staining showed better chromatin maturity in sperm recovered with 2.5- and 3.5-mM zinc (p = 0.045; p = 0.021). Kinematic parameters such as curvilinear velocity and beat-cross frequency showed improvement with 2.5 mM zinc (p = 0.0080 and p = 0.0400), whereas straightness, linearity, and hypermotility showed improvement with 5 mM zinc (p = 0.0075, p = 0.0069, and p = 0.0244). Protein phosphorylation patterns showed changes associated with treatment with zinc, and only 5 mM zinc treatment showed a decrease in ROS levels.
Conclusion: The addition of zinc to mHTF provided optimal physiological conditions for sperm recovered through swim-up. This supplementation should be considered for selecting sperm for use in ART.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (No. 6060/359). Consent to participate: For this study, all participants signed informed consent in compliance with ethical standards. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Sørensen MB, Bergdahl IA, Hjøllund NH, Bonde JP, Stoltenberg M, Ernst E. Zinc, magnesium and calcium in human seminal fluid: relations to other semen parameters and fertility. Molecul Hum Reprod. 1999;5(4):331–7. (PMID: 10.1093/molehr/5.4.331)
Colagar AH, Marzony ET, Chaichi MJ. Zinc levels in seminal plasma are associated with sperm quality in fertile and infertile men. Nutr Res. 2009;29(2):82–8. (PMID: 1928559710.1016/j.nutres.2008.11.007)
Hidiroglou M, Knipfel JE. Zinc in mammalian sperm: a review. J Dairy Sci. 1984;67(6):1147–56. (PMID: 637899110.3168/jds.S0022-0302(84)81416-2)
Bedwal RS, Bahuguna A. Zinc, copper and selenium in reproduction. Experientia. 1994;50:626–40. (PMID: 803397010.1007/BF01952862)
Huacuja L, Sosa A, Delgado NM, Rosado A. A kinetic study of the participation of zinc in human spermatozoa metabolism. Life Sci. 1973;13(10):1383–94. (PMID: 420273610.1016/0024-3205(73)90159-8)
Sørensen MB, Stoltenberg M, Danscher G, Ernst E. Chelation of intracellular zinc ions affects human sperm cell motility. Molecul Hum Reproduct. 1999;5(4):338–41. (PMID: 10.1093/molehr/5.4.338)
Gavella M, Lipovac V. In vitro effect of zinc on oxidative changes in human semen. Andrologia. 1998;30(6):317–23. (PMID: 983594510.1111/j.1439-0272.1998.tb01177.x)
Marini P, FernándezBeato L, Cane F, Teijeiro J. Effect of zinc on boar sperm liquid storage. Front Vet Sci. 2023;10:1–11. (PMID: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1107929)
Plante M, De Lamirande E, Gagnon C. Reactive oxygen species released by activated neutrophils, but not by deficient spermatozoa, are sufficient to affect normal sperm motility. Fertil Steril. 1994;62(2):387–93. (PMID: 803408910.1016/S0015-0282(16)56895-2)
Aitken RJ, Drevet JR, Moazamian A, Gharagozloo P. Male infertility and oxidative stress: a focus on the underlying mechanisms. Antioxidants. 2022;11(2):306. (PMID: 35204189886810210.3390/antiox11020306)
Kennedy C, Ahlering P, Rodriguez H, Levy S, Sutovsky P. Sperm chromatin structure correlates with spontaneous abortion and multiple pregnancy rates in assisted reproduction. Reproduct BioMed Online. 2011;22(3):272–6. (PMID: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2010.11.020)
Simon L, Proutski I, Stevenson M, Jennings D, McManus J, Lutton D, et al. Sperm DNA damage has a negative association with live-birth rates after IVF. Reproduct BioMed Online. 2013;26(1):68–78. (PMID: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2012.09.019)
Gavriliouk D, Aitken RJ. Damage to sperm DNA mediated by reactive oxygen species: its impact on human reproduction and the health trajectory of offspring. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2015;23-47. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18881-2_2.
Rex AS, Aagaard J, Fedder J. DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa: a historical review. Andrology. 2017;5(4):622–30. (PMID: 28718529560128610.1111/andr.12381)
Twigg J, Irvine DS, Houston P, Fulton N, Michael L, Aitken RJ. Iatrogenic DNA damage induced in human spermatozoa during sperm preparation: protective significance of seminal plasma. Molecul Human Reproduct. 1998;4(5):439–45. (PMID: 10.1093/molehr/4.5.439)
Mortimer D. Sperm preparation techniques and iatrogenic failures of in-vitro fertilization. Human Reproduct. 1991;6(2):173–6. (PMID: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a137300)
Aitken RJ, Buckingham DW, Brindle J, Gomez E, Baker HWG, Irvine DS. Andrology: analysis of sperm movement in relation to the oxidative stress created by leukocytes in washed sperm preparations and seminal plasma. Human Reproduct. 1995;10(8):2061–71. (PMID: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a136237)
Volpes A, Sammartano F, Rizzari S, Gullo S, Marino A, Allegra A. The pellet swim-up is the best technique for sperm preparation during in vitro fertilization procedures. J Assist Reproduct Genetics. 2016;33(6):765–70. (PMID: 10.1007/s10815-016-0696-2)
Björndahl L, Kvist U. Human sperm chromatin stabilization: a proposed model including zinc bridges. Molec Human Reproduct. 2009;16(1):23–9. (PMID: 10.1093/molehr/gap099)
Björndahl L, Kvist U. A model for the importance of zinc in the dynamics of human sperm chromatin stabilization after ejaculation in relation to sperm DNA vulnerability. Syst Biol Reproduct Med. 2011;57(1–2):86–92. (PMID: 10.3109/19396368.2010.516306)
Lewis-Jones DI, Aird IA, Biljan MM, Kingsland CR. Effects of sperm activity on zinc and fructose concentrations in seminal plasma. Human Reproduct. 1996;11(11):2465–7. (PMID: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019138)
Chia SE, Ong CN, Chua LH, Ho LM, Tay SK. Comparison of zinc concentrations in blood and seminal plasma and the various sperm parameters between fertile and infertile men. J Androl. 2000;21(1):53–7. (PMID: 1067051910.1002/j.1939-4640.2000.tb03275.x)
WHO. WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen (sixth edition). World Health Organization. 2021.
Munuce MJ, Marini PE, Teijeiro JM. Expression profile and distribution of Annexin A1, A2 and A5 in human semen. Andrologia. 2019;51(2):e13224. (PMID: 3061402510.1111/and.13224)
Sati L, Huszar G. Methodology of aniline blue staining of chromatin and the assessment of the associated nuclear and cytoplasmic attributes in human sperm. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2013;425-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-038-0_36.
Benjamin D, Sharma RK, Moazzam A, Agarwal A. Methods for the detection of ROS in human sperm samples. Studies on men's health and fertility. 2012:257-73.
Allouche-Fitoussi D, Bakhshi D, Breitbart H. Signaling pathways involved in human sperm hyperactivated motility stimulated by Zn2+. Molecul Reproduct Develop. 2018;85(6):543–56. (PMID: 10.1002/mrd.22996)
Teijeiro JM, Marini PE, Bragado MJ, Garcia-Marin LJ. Protein kinase C activity in boar sperm. Andrology. 2017;5(2):381–91. (PMID: 2818750210.1111/andr.12312)
Janick J, Zeitz L, Whitmore WF Jr. Seminal fluid and spermatozoon zinc levels and their relationship to human spermatozoon motility. Fertil Steril. 1971;22(9):573–80. (PMID: 557106510.1016/S0015-0282(16)38465-5)
Eliasson R, Johnsen Ø, Lindholmer C. Effect of zinc on human sperm respiration. Life Sci. 1971;10(22):1317–20. (PMID: 10.1016/0024-3205(71)90331-6)
Kerns K, Sharif M, Zigo M, Xu W, Hamilton LE, Sutovsky M, Ellersieck M, Drobnis EZ, Bovin N, Oko R, Miller D. Sperm cohort-specific zinc signature acquisition and capacitation-induced zinc flux regulate sperm-oviduct and sperm-zona pellucida interactions. Int J Molecul Sci. 2020;21(6):2121. (PMID: 10.3390/ijms21062121)
Björndahl L, Kvist U. Structure of chromatin in spermatozoa. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2014;1-1.
Huang L, Yao G, Huang G, Jiang C, Li L, Liao L, Yuan G, Shang L, Xu W. Association of zinc deficiency, oxidative stress and increased double-stranded DNA breaks in globozoospermic infertile patients and its implication for the assisted reproductive technique. Translat Androl Urol. 2021;10(3):1088. (PMID: 10.21037/tau-20-1116)
de Lamirande EV, Yoshida K, Yoshiike M, Iwamoto T, Gagnon C. Semenogelin, the main protein of semen coagulum, inhibits human sperm capacitation by interfering with the superoxide anion generated during this process. J Androl. 2001;22(4):672–9. (PMID: 1145136510.1002/j.1939-4640.2001.tb02228.x)
Rj A. Oxidative stress, DNA damage and the Y chromosome. Reproduction. 2001;122:497–506. (PMID: 10.1530/rep.0.1220497)
Agarwal A, Said TM. Role of sperm chromatin abnormalities and DNA damage in male infertility. Human Reproduct Update. 2003;9(4):331–45. (PMID: 10.1093/humupd/dmg027)
Lewis SEM, Aitken RJ. DNA damage to spermatozoa has impacts on fertilization and pregnancy. Cell Tissue Res. 2005;322(1):33–41. (PMID: 1591240710.1007/s00441-005-1097-5)
Collins JA, Barnhart KT, Schlegel PN. Do sperm DNA integrity tests predict pregnancy with in vitro fertilization? Fertil Steril. 2008;89(4):823–31. (PMID: 1764409410.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.04.055)
Lewis SEM, Aitken RJ, Conner SJ, De Iuliis G, Evenson DP, Henkel R, et al. The impact of sperm DNA damage in assisted conception and beyond: recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. Reproduct BioMed Online. 2013;27(4):325–37. (PMID: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2013.06.014)
Bungum M, Humaidan P, Axmon A, Spano M, Bungum L, Erenpreiss J, et al. Sperm DNA integrity assessment in prediction of assisted reproduction technology outcome. Human Reproduction. 2007;22(1):174–9. (PMID: 1692116310.1093/humrep/del326)
Zini A, Boman JM, Belzile E, Ciampi A. Sperm DNA damage is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy loss after IVF and ICSI: systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Reproduct. 2008;23(12):2663–8. (PMID: 10.1093/humrep/den321)
Schlegel PN. Can sperm quality affect reproductive outcomes? Fertil Steril. 2023;120(4):707–8. (PMID: 3757399810.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.08.007)
Grèze C, Guttmann A, Pons-Rejraji H, Vasson MP, Lornage J, Ouchchane L, Brugnon F. Can the SCD test and terminal uridine nick-end labeling by flow cytometry technique (TUNEL/FCM) be used interchangeably to measure sperm DNA damage in routine laboratory practice? Basic Clinic Androl. 2019;29:1–1.
Pourmasumi S, Khoradmehr A, Rahiminia T, Sabeti P, Talebi AR, Ghasemzadeh J. Evaluation of sperm chromatin integrity using aniline blue and toluidine blue staining in infertile and normozoospermic men. J Reproduct Infertil. 2019;20(2):95.
Henkel R, Bittner J, Weber R, Hüther F, Miska W. Relevance of zinc in human sperm flagella and its relation to motility. Fertil Steril. 1999;71(6):1138–43. (PMID: 1036092410.1016/S0015-0282(99)00141-7)
Wroblewski N, Schill WB, Henkel R. Metal chelators change the human sperm motility pattern. Fertil Steril. 2003;79:1584–9. (PMID: 1280156410.1016/S0015-0282(03)00255-3)
Jimeńez-Trejo F, Tapia-Rodriǵuez M, Cerboń M, Kuhn DM, Manjarrez-Gutieŕrez G, Mendoza-Rodríguez CA, et al. Evidence of 5-HT components in human sperm: Implications for protein tyrosine phosphorylation and the physiology of motility. Reproduction. 2012;144(6):677–85. (PMID: 23028123477904810.1530/REP-12-0145)
Gao T, Li K, Liang F, Yu J, Liu A, Ni Y, et al. KCNQ1 potassium channel expressed in human sperm is involved in sperm motility, acrosome reaction, protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and ion homeostasis during capacitation. Front Physiol. 2021;114(6):677–85.
López-Torres AS, González-González ME, Mata-Martínez E, Larrea F, Treviño CL, Chirinos M. Luteinizing hormone modulates intracellular calcium, protein tyrosine phosphorylation and motility during human sperm capacitation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2017;483(2):834–9. (PMID: 2806392610.1016/j.bbrc.2017.01.010)
Osheroff JE, Visconti PE, Valenzuela JP, Travis AJ, Alvarez J, Kopf GS. Regulation of human sperm capacitation by a cholesterol efflux-stimulated signal transduction pathway leading to protein kinase A-mediated up-regulation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Molecul Human Reproduct. 1999;5(11):1017–26. (PMID: 10.1093/molehr/5.11.1017)
Visconti PE, Westbrook VA, Chertihin O, Demarco I, Sleight S, Diekman AB. Novel signaling pathways involved in sperm acquisition of fertilizing capacity. Journal of Reproductive Immunology. 2002;237-256. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0273-9_14.
Wu J, Wu S, Xie Y, Wang Z, Wu R, Cai J, et al. Zinc protects sperm from being damaged by reactive oxygen species in assisted reproduction techniques. Reproduct BioMed Online. 2015;30(4):334–9. (PMID: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.12.008)

8va Convocatoria Vinculación Inclusiva Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Keywords: DNA fragmentation; MHTF; Sperm; Swim-up; Zinc

Date Created: 20241127 Latest Revision: 20241127

20241202

10.1007/s10815-024-03328-x

39601989