Evaluation of urinary metal concentrations and sperm DNA damage in infertile men from an infertility clinic

This study aimed to examine associations between urinary metal concentrations and sperm DNA damage. Thirteen metals [arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn)] were detected in urine samples of 207 infertile men from an infertility clinic using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and also, sperm DNA damage (tail length, percent DNA tail, and tail distributed moment) were assessed using neutral comet assay. We found that urinary Hg and Ni were associated with increasing trends for tail length (both p for trend<0.05), and that urinary Mn was associated with increasing trend for tail distributed moment (p for trend=0.02). These associations did persist even when considering multiple metals. Our results suggest that environmental exposure to Hg, Mn, and Ni may be associated with increased sperm DNA damage.

Environmental toxicology and pharmacology. 2016 May 24 [Epub ahead of print]

Yan Zhou, Xiao-Ming Fu, Dong-Liang He, Xue-Min Zou, Cheng-Qiu Wu, Wei-Zhen Guo, Wei Feng

School of Public Health, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China. Electronic address: ., The 169th Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Xiangnan Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Hengyang, Hunan, PR China., Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, PR China; Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China., School of Public Health, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China., Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, PR China., School of Public Health, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China., Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.