Post-Chornobyl remote radiation effects on human sperm and seminal plasma characteristics.

AIM: The research was aimed on analysis of the remote consequences of Chornobyl accident on the reproductive function of men adult residing in Ukraine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 232 male volunteers with mean age of 34 years (range 20-47) from 5 different regions of Ukraine (Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Poltava, and Kyiv city) were enrolled in cross-sectional studies of long term radiation effects on seminal plasma and sperm. All manipulations, analysis and classification of ejaculates were done accordingly to WHO recommendations. The content of neutral α-glucosidase, fructose, citric acid in the seminal plasma was determined by spectrophotometry, L-carnitine - by high performance liquid chromatography, zinc - by atomic absorption spectroscopy. RESULTS: In the men residing in the regions heavily contaminated with radioonuclides, the decreased sperm quality with concurrent asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, teratozoospermia, asthenoteratozoospermia, oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and oligoteratozoospermia was revealed. Moreover, the concomitant shifts in seminal plasma content of neutral α-glucosidase, fructose, citric acid, L-carnitine and zinc were detected. CONCLUSION: The study has revealed the ample sperm and semen abnormalities amongst the inhabitants of radiation polluted territories that should have to be a subject of careful research in forthcoming years. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled "The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years After".

Impact peculiarities of long-term gamma-irradiation with low-dose rate on the development of laboratory rats and their sperm production. / OSOBLYVOSTI VPLYVU DOVGOTRYVALOGO GAMMA-OPROMINENNIa MALOi POTUZhNOSTI NA ROZVYTOK LABORATORNYKh ShchURIV TA iKh SPERMOUTVORENNIa.

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of long-term gamma-irradiation with low dose rate (13×10-6 cGy/s) on the body, testes and ventral prostate, development of laboratory rats, as well as quantitative parameters of sperm production along with kinetic characteristics of spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experiments were performed on laboratory white rats of 2,5 months in age. Animals were irradiated in gamma-field of "Ethalon" device in a dose range 0.1-1.0 Gy. Testicles, epididymises, ventral prostate were retrieved from decapitated animal, each organ weight being determined for every exposure dose. Sperm quantities in testicles and epididymises were identified with aid of phase-contrast microscopy after tissue homogenization in saline containing Troton X-100 and NaN3. Kinetic characteristics of spermatozoa were analyzed by video recording at 37 ºC. RESULTS: The long-term gamma-irradiation with low dose rate was shown to cause no effect on the dynamics of animal weight and weight of epididymis changes. However the testes weight was noticed to diminish at doses 0.1, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.0 Gy, the latter dose being stimulative for the ventral prostate growth and weight accumulation. Total sperm quantities in testicles and epididymices along with daily sperm production declined in gamma-irradiated rats compared to control. However curvilinear and straight line spermatozoid velocity as well as the frequency of tail oscillations tended to increase. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term gamma-irradiation of rat whole body with low dose rate just insignificantly affects the development of testes and ventral prostate. Apart from this, radiation effects showed up in sperm production slight suppression, from the on hand, and sperm velocity along with tail oscillations intensification, from the other hand.

Analysis of the antioxidantive qualities of sperm after total body X-irradiation of animals. / Analiz aktyvnosti antyoksydantnoi' systemy spermy za umov total''nogo rentgenivs''kogo oprominennja tvaryn.

OBJECTIVE: To study dynamics of natural antioxidant levels and antioxidant enzymes activities in rabbit seminal fluid in conditions of single total body X-ray irradiation in different doses. Materials and methods. Soviet Shinshilla white rabbit males 30-36 months old were taken into investigation. Sperm was collected by artificial vagina. Seminal fluid was purified from spermatozoa by centrifugation at 2500g during 12 min. Animals were irradiated by X-rays on RUM-17 device (Russia) in doses 1.0; 2.0; 5.0 and 7.0 Gy with dose rate 2.8x10-3 Gy/sec. Sperm was gathered on 10th and 90th day after irradiation. Free glutathione and thiol concentration were assessed by spectrophotometry using 2.2-dithiobisnitrobenzoic acid, lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring of TBA-active products concentration. Enzymatic activities of superoxiddismutase, catalase, glutathionperoxidase and glutathionreductase were estimated in substrate specific reactions spectrophotometrically. Results. Dose-dependant up-regulation of antioxidant enzymatic activity of seminal fluid on the 10th day after exposure to 1.0-7.0 Gy dose range of total X-ray irradiation was shown. This effect was accompanied by the decrease of free thiols concentration, from the one hand, and both TBA-active products and oxidized glutathione contents elevation, from the other hand. This seminal plasma state was shown to be temporal and partially normalized on 90th day after exposure. Conclusions. Total X-ray irradiation of rabbits leads to significant up-regulation of antioxidant processes of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic type on the 10th day after radiation exposure in seminal plasma. This effect was shown to be dose-dependant. Then antioxidant activity dropped and metabolic activities gradually normalized according to studied parameters within 90 days after exposure in 1.0 and 2.0 Gy.

Variation of rabbit sperm physiologic parameters after the X-ray exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of X-irradiation on the morpho-functional characteristics of rabbit spermatozoa and the contents of fructose, L-carnitine, α-tocopherol, ascorbate and citrate in the animal sperm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The total body irradiation of rabbits (Soviet Shinchilla) was performed at the RUM-17 device in the dose range of 1.0-7.0 Gy with 2.8·10-3 Gy/sec intensity. The animal sperm was collected by the artificial vagina and then separated on seminal plasma and spermatozoa through centrifugation. Sperm concentration, motility, morphology and linear velocity were identified using the "MBI-6" light microscope. The quantitative determination of ascorbate, α-tocopherol and L-carnitine in seminal plasma was made on the "Agilent 1200" liquid chromatograph, while the concentration of fructose and citrate was measured on a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: The X-ray irradiation was shown to cause a dose-dependent suppressing effect on the prostate, seminal vesicles and epididymices expresed through the decreased content of fructose, citrate, L-carnitine, α-tocopherol and ascorbate in a rabbit sperm. Simultaneously the exacerbation of morphologic anomalies (damage of acrosomes, heads and tails) in spermatozoa along with spermatozoid motility and linear velocity decrease were elucidated. CONCLUSION: The run-time pattern of morpho-functional changes in spermatozoa together with component content of rabbit sperm in response to the total body irradiation was studied. Consequently the dose dependent raise of morphologic anomalies (damage of acrosomes, heads and tails) in spermatozoa and the slowing of spermatozoid linear velocity was found out. The sperm capacity to fulfill the post-radiation recovery was proven up. The effectiveness of the latter was shown to be dependent upon the radiation dose absorbed and the duration of post-irradiation period.