Alcohol‑induced male infertility: Is sperm DNA fragmentation a causative?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a passionate desire for couples to own their own biological children. Unfortunately, infertility index has been increasing with about 50% attributed to male factor infertility. Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been suggested as one of the causes of infertility in men; however, there have been controversies as regards its relationship with the successful management of infertility.
AIM: This study is aimed at determining the impact of SDF on fertility potentials in a rat model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty adult male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups of five rats each. Groups A1 (distilled water) and B1 (2 g/kg of 30% v/v ethanol) lasted for 4 weeks while Groups A2 (control; distilled water) and B2 (2 g/kg of 30% v/v ethanol) lasted for 8 weeks. At the end of each treatment, the animals were introduced to female SD rats on the proestrous day of their cycle. The testis was harvested and tested for oxidative stress while the cauda epididymis was harvested to test for epididymal sperm parameters and SDF.
RESULTS: The sperm count, sperm motility, and the number of fetuses sired by the animals that received alcohol decreased significantly (P < 0.05). There was also a significant increase in malondialdehyde and SDF and a concomitant decrease in testicular superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione levels in animals that received alcohol compared to controls.
CONCLUSION: Alcohol Increased oxidative stress and SDF altering the ability of spermatozoa to fertilize oocytes.