Seminal reactive oxygen species and sperm motility and morphology in men with spinal cord injury

Objective: To assess the generation of reactive oxygen species and its relation to semen characteristics in men with spinal cord injury. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Andrology laboratory at a tertiary care facility and research laboratory at a major medical center. Patient(s): Men with spinal cord injury and normal men. Intervention(s): Collecting ejaculates from men with spinal cord injury by electroejaculation and vibratory stimulation and from normal men by masturbation. Main Outcome Measure(s): Measurement of reactive oxygen species before and after stimulation with 50 mu M N-formyl-methionyl-leucylphenylalanine (FMLP) and 100 nM 12-myristate 13-acetate phorbol ester (PMA), white blood cell(WBC) concentration, sperm motility and morphology, and ejaculation method. Result(s): Compared with controls, levels of reactive oxygen species in men with spinal cord injury were significantly higher in unstimulated, f-MLP-stimulated, and PMA-stimulated specimens. The WBC concentration was significantly elevated in patients with spinal cord injury. Sperm motility in men with spinal cord injury was inversely related to the level of reactive oxygen species. The percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa was significantly lower in men with spinal cord injury. Levels of seminal reactive oxygen species did not differ when comparing specimen type (antegrade versus retrograde) or method of ejaculation in men with spinal card injury. Conclusion(s): Men with spinal cord injury had elevated levels of reactive oxygen species in their semen. Levels of reactive oxygen species were negatively correlated with sperm motility. Levels of reactive oxygen species were independent of the method of ejaculation or the type of specimen. (C) 1997 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.