MR 09. The relationship between human sperm motility, concentration and Caspase3,8,9 in both sperm and plasma

Objective: To determine if human ejaculated sperm plasma exist caspases, to analyse the relationship between routine semen parameter and the levels of Caspase3,8,9 in both sperm and plasma and to speculate the possible significant.

Methods: Semens were abtained from men consulting for male infertileity in our hospital and in reproductive center of Hainan medical school. There were 76 samples in all, includeing 20 normal samples, 19 asthenospermia samples, 20 oligoasthnotspermia samples and 17 azoospermia samples. All semen samples were analysis by CASA, and then sperm and plasma were separated by common centrifugation, at last, a double-antibody-sandwich-ELISA was used to detect the level of Caspase3,8,9 in both sperm and plasma.

Results: (I) Caspase3,8,9 were all determined in all examined samples in both sperms and plasma. (II) When considered as a whole, the level of Caspase3 and Caspase8 in plasma were both significantly higher than in sperm (Caspase3: 9.00±9.20 pmol/L vs. 6.36±5.81 pmol/L, P<0.05; Caspase8: 17.32±11.23 pmol/L vs. 12.72±7.42 pmol/L, P<0.05). (III) When considered as a whole, the levels of Caspase8 and Caspase9 in sperm were respectively negtively correlated with sperm concentration, motility and A%; while in plasma, Caspase8 and Caspase9 were respectively negatively correlated with sperm A%, and only the level of Caspase8 was negatively correlated with sperm concentration. However, when considered as each group, only in normal group, sperm concentration was negatively correlated with Caspase9 in sperm. Of course, all the correlation mentioned above were significant. (IV) Compared with the normal group, only the oligoasthnotspermia group exhibited significantly increased level of Caspase8 in sperm (P<0.05).

Conclusions: (I) Caspases also exist in sperm plasma, which may reflect the situation of sperm apoptotic in testis and /or epididymis, to a large extent. (II) Caspase8,9 in sperm can be a good indicator for poor sperm quality.