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Urinary DNA lesions as a biomarker for assessing male reproductive health

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: The study aimed to examine whether urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) could serve as a biomarker for assessing sperm DNA integrity. Urine and semen samples were collected from 124 coke-oven workers, who had chronically been exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from a steel plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The coke-oven workers were divided into two subgroups: topside-oven workers and side-oven workers. Sperm DNA integrity was assessed in terms of DNA fragmentation and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo). Urine samples were used to detect 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and urinary 8-OHdG, which served to assess exposure to PAHs and the whole body oxidative stress, respectively. Urinary 1-OHP concentrations were significantly higher in the topside-oven workers than the side-oven workers (p = 0.02). Sperm 8-oxodGuo concentrations were correlated with percentages of sperm fragmentation (p = 0.044), but urinary 8-OHdG levels failed to correlate with sperm 8-oxodGuo levels and with percentages of fragmentation. In conclusion, exposure to PAHs was linked to increased oxidative stress on sperm. However, urinary 8-OHdG may not be a suitable biomarker for examining sperm DNA damage associated with oxidative stress.

Source: AIMS environmental science

DOI: 10.3934/environsci.2015.3.565

Authors: Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Chih-Hung Pan, Chao Mu-Rong

Institutions: Old Dominion University, Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety And Health, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Labor, Chung Shan Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Sperm and Testicular Function

Subfield: Reproductive Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $300