Mass spectrometry profiling of oxysterols in human sperm identifies 25-hydroxycholesterol as a marker of sperm function
Chiara Zerbinati,
Luisa Caponecchia,
Rosa Puca,
Marco Ciacciarelli,
Pietro Salacone,
Annalisa Sebastianelli,
Antonio Pastore,
Giovanni Palleschi,
Vincenzo Petrozza,
Natale Porta,
Rocco Rago,
Antonio Carbone,
Luigi Iuliano
Affiliations
Chiara Zerbinati
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Luisa Caponecchia
Center for Couple Infertility and Andrology (LC, PS, AS), Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, Italy
Rosa Puca
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Marco Ciacciarelli
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Pietro Salacone
Center for Couple Infertility and Andrology (LC, PS, AS), Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, Italy
Annalisa Sebastianelli
Center for Couple Infertility and Andrology (LC, PS, AS), Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina, Italy
Antonio Pastore
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Giovanni Palleschi
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Vincenzo Petrozza
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Natale Porta
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Rocco Rago
Pathophysiology of Reproduction and Andrology Unit (RR), S. Pertini Hospital, Rome, Italy
Antonio Carbone
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
Luigi Iuliano
Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CZ, RP, MC, LI), Urology Unit (AP, GP, AC), and Histopathology Unit (VP, NP), Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy; Correspondence to: Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Vascular Biology & Mass Spectrometry Lab, corso della Repubblica 79, 04100 Latina. Italy
Cholesterol is a main lipid component of sperm cell that is essential for sperm membrane fluidity, capacitation, and acrosomal reaction. Recent data obtained in bovine sperm showed that sperm capacitation is associated to the formation of oxysterols, oxidized products of cholesterol. The aim of this study was to profile oxysterol content in human semen, and to investigate their potential role in sperm pathophysiology. Among the 12 oxysterols analyzed, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) resulted the most represented in normozoospermic samples, and its concentration positively correlated with spermatozoa number. We detected Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for 25-HC production, in human spermatozoa at the level of the neck and the post acrosomal area. Upon incubation with spermatozoa, 25-HC induced calcium and cholesterol transients in connection with the acrosomal reaction. Our results support a role for 25-HC in sperm function. Keywords: Oxysterols, Cholesterol, Sperm function, Male infertility
