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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on March 10, 2005
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/deh727
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Human Reproduction © European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 2005; all rights reserved
Received April 5, 2004
Revised August 5, 2004
Accepted December 10, 2004

Article

Quantitative study of caspase-3 activity in semen and after swim-up preparation in relation to sperm quality

Carolina Almeida 1, Margarida F.Cardoso 2, Mário Sousa 3*, Paulo Viana 4, Ana Gonçalves 4, Joaquina Silva 4, and Alberto Barros 5

1 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal
2 Department of Population Studies, Portugal
3 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; Lab Cell Biology, ICBAS, University of Porto, Portugal; Centre for Reproductive Genetics Alberto Barros, Porto, Portugal
4 Centre for Reproductive Genetics Alberto Barros, Porto, Portugal
5 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; Centre for Reproductive Genetics Alberto Barros, Porto, Portugal

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Mário Sousa, E-mail: msousa{at}icbas.up.pt


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are no studies relating the apoptotic marker caspase-3 in human sperm to different degrees of abnormal sperm concentration, morphology and rapid progressive motility. METHODS: Semen from 67 males with abnormal semen analyses (n=61) and normozoospermia (n=6) were used. In each case, sperm from the neat semen (semen fraction) and after gradient centrifugation and swim-up (swim-up fraction) were incubated with a caspase-3 profluorogenic substrate. Caspase-3 activity was quantified in 119 850 sperm, 67 488 from semen and 52 362 from swim-up fractions. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (with 99% confidence intervals) for the presence of caspase-3-positive sperm. RESULTS: In semen fractions, no relationship was found between abnormal semen analysis subgroups and sperm caspase-3 activity. On the contrary, a significantly increased number of sperm with caspase-3 activity was found in the swim-up fractions from samples with poor sperm morphology. When analysis was restricted to single semen analysis defects, a significant increase of caspase-3-positive sperm was found in the semen fractions of cases with asthenozoospermia, and in the swim-up fractions of cases with teratozoospermia. CONCLUSIONS: Sperm caspase-3 activity seems to be associated with teratozoospermia and asthenozoospermia, thus suggesting that nuclear, mitochondrial and cytoskeletal abnormalities induce caspase-3 activation during spermiogenesis or sperm maturation.

Keywords: apoptosis; asthenoteratozoospermia; caspase-3 activity; male infertility; semen analysis parameters.
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