Effects of Alcohol Use on Sperm Chromatin Structure, a Retrospective Analysis

Overview

Journal Basic Clin Androl

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2023 Jun 7

PMID 37286947

Authors

Ariadne Trautman

Aarabhi Gurumoorthy

Keith A Hansen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The evaluation of the infertile couple is often complex as multiple factors in both the male and female can contribute, including social history. Previous studies have displayed that male ethanol consumption can disturb sperm motility, nuclear maturity, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integrity. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of male alcohol use on sperm chromatin structure analysis (SCSA®). This study was a retrospective chart review of 209 couples that presented to a midsize infertility clinic in the Midwest and had a semen analysis and SCSA® performed. Data extracted from the electronic medical record included demographics, tobacco use, alcohol use, occupational exposures, semen analysis results, and SCSA® results (DNA Fragmentation index (DFI) and High DNA stainability (HDS)). Statistical analysis was performed on this data set to determine significance with a p-level of 0.05, with the primary input being level of alcohol use and primary outcome being the SCSA® parameters.

Results: Overall, 11% of the cohort had heavy alcohol use (> 10 drinks/week), 27% moderate (3-10/week), 34% rare (0.5- < 3/week), and 28% none. 36% of the cohort had HDS > 10% (a marker of immature sperm chromatin). Level of alcohol use was not significantly associated with HDS > 10% or DFI. Heavier alcohol use was significantly associated with lower sperm count (p = 0.042). Increasing age was significantly associated with increasing DNA Fragmentation Index (p = 0.006), increased sperm count (p = 0.002), and lower semen volume (p = 0.022). Exposure to heat at work was significantly associated with lower semen volume (p = 0.042). Tobacco use was associated with lower sperm motility (p < 0.0001) and lower sperm count (p = 0.002).

Conclusions: There was not a significant association between the level of alcohol use and the High DNA Stainability or DNA Fragmentation Index of sperm. Increasing age was associated with semen parameters as expected, heat exposure was associated with lower semen volume, and tobacco use was associated with lower sperm motility and density. Further studies could investigate alcohol use and reactive oxidative species in sperm.

Citing Articles

Understanding the Role of Alcohol in Metabolic Dysfunction and Male Infertility.

Genchi V, Cignarelli A, Sansone A, Yannas D, Dalla Valentina L, Renda Livraghi D Metabolites. 2024; 14(11).

PMID: 39590862 PMC: 11596383. DOI: 10.3390/metabo14110626.

References

Fraga C, Motchnik P, Wyrobek A, Rempel D, Ames B . Smoking and low antioxidant levels increase oxidative damage to sperm DNA. Mutat Res. 1996; 351(2):199-203. DOI: 10.1016/0027-5107(95)00251-0. View

Check J, Adelson H, Schubert B, Bollendorf A . Evaluation of sperm morphology using Kruger's strict criteria. Arch Androl. 1992; 28(1):15-7. DOI: 10.3109/01485019208987674. View

Evenson D . The Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA(®)) and other sperm DNA fragmentation tests for evaluation of sperm nuclear DNA integrity as related to fertility. Anim Reprod Sci. 2016; 169:56-75. DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.01.017. View

Virro M, Larson-Cook K, Evenson D . Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameters are related to fertilization, blastocyst development, and ongoing pregnancy in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Fertil Steril. 2004; 81(5):1289-95. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.09.063. View

Amor H, Hammadeh M, Mohd I, Jankowski P . Impact of heavy alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking on sperm DNA integrity. Andrologia. 2022; 54(7):e14434. DOI: 10.1111/and.14434. View

Darzynkiewicz Z, Traganos F, Sharpless T, Melamed M . Thermal denaturation of DNA in situ as studied by acridine orange staining and automated cytofluorometry. Exp Cell Res. 1975; 90(2):411-28. DOI: 10.1016/0014-4827(75)90331-6. View

Klonoff-Cohen H, Lam-Kruglick P, Gonzalez C . Effects of maternal and paternal alcohol consumption on the success rates of in vitro fertilization and gamete intrafallopian transfer. Fertil Steril. 2003; 79(2):330-9. DOI: 10.1016/s0015-0282(02)04582-x. View

Aitken R, De Iuliis G, Finnie J, Hedges A, McLachlan R . Analysis of the relationships between oxidative stress, DNA damage and sperm vitality in a patient population: development of diagnostic criteria. Hum Reprod. 2010; 25(10):2415-26. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deq214. View

Lewis S, Aitken R, Conner S, Iuliis G, Evenson D, Henkel R . The impact of sperm DNA damage in assisted conception and beyond: recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. Reprod Biomed Online. 2013; 27(4):325-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2013.06.014. View

10.

Hansen M, Thulstrup A, Bonde J, Olsen J, Hakonsen L, Ramlau-Hansen C . Does last week's alcohol intake affect semen quality or reproductive hormones? A cross-sectional study among healthy young Danish men. Reprod Toxicol. 2012; 34(3):457-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2012.06.004. View

11.

Marinelli D, Gaspari L, Pedotti P, Taioli E . Mini-review of studies on the effect of smoking and drinking habits on semen parameters. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2004; 207(3):185-92. DOI: 10.1078/1438-4639-00283. View

12.

Aitken R, Bakos H . Should we be measuring DNA damage in human spermatozoa? New light on an old question. Hum Reprod. 2021; 36(5):1175-1185. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab004. View

13.

Goverde H, Dekker H, JANSSEN H, Bastiaans B, Rolland R, Zielhuis G . Semen quality and frequency of smoking and alcohol consumption--an explorative study. Int J Fertil Menopausal Stud. 1995; 40(3):135-8. View

14.

Evenson D, Djira G, Kasperson K, Christianson J . Relationships between the age of 25,445 men attending infertility clinics and sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA®) defined sperm DNA and chromatin integrity. Fertil Steril. 2020; 114(2):311-320. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.03.028. View

15.

Blaseg E, Von Wald T, Hansen K . Vitamin D levels and human sperm DNA fragmentation: a prospective, cohort study. Basic Clin Androl. 2022; 32(1):14. PMC: 9469602. DOI: 10.1186/s12610-022-00166-8. View

16.

Aboulmaouahib S, Madkour A, Kaarouch I, Sefrioui O, Saadani B, Copin H . Impact of alcohol and cigarette smoking consumption in male fertility potential: Looks at lipid peroxidation, enzymatic antioxidant activities and sperm DNA damage. Andrologia. 2017; 50(3). DOI: 10.1111/and.12926. View

17.

Gao Z, Moorjani P, Sasani T, Pedersen B, Quinlan A, Jorde L . Overlooked roles of DNA damage and maternal age in generating human germline mutations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019; 116(19):9491-9500. PMC: 6511033. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901259116. View

18.

Rahimipour M, Talebi A, Anvari M, Sarcheshmeh A, Omidi M . Effects of different doses of ethanol on sperm parameters, chromatin structure and apoptosis in adult mice. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013; 170(2):423-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2013.06.038. View

19.

Anderson Jr R, Willis B, Oswald C, Zaneveld L . Partial reversal of ethanol-induced male reproductive pathology following abstinence. Alcohol Alcohol. 1985; 20(3):273-86. View

20.

Talebi A, Sarcheshmeh A, Khalili M, Tabibnejad N . Effects of ethanol consumption on chromatin condensation and DNA integrity of epididymal spermatozoa in rat. Alcohol. 2010; 45(4):403-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2010.10.005. View