Comprehensive semen examination in cystic fibrosis patients without seminal ducts obstruction

Abstract

The study objective is to evaluate the semen parameters, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of spermatozoa, sperm ultrastructure and chromatin status in cystic fibrosis patients with preserved seminal ducts.Materials and methods. We examined 5 cystic fibrosis patients without bilateral obstruction of the vas deferens. Patients underwent standard semen analysis, quantitative karyological analysis of immature germ cells from the ejaculate sediment and transmission electronic microscopy of spermatozoa.Results. Of 5patients, 2 were asthenoteratozoospermic, 1 patient was oligoastenozoospermic, 2patients were asthenozoospermic and 1 was normozoospermic. Oligospermia was detected in 2 samples; increased viscosity of ejaculate was in 1 sample. The pH of the ejaculate was 7.0—7.8; the fructose of the ejaculate was low in one of 2 examined samples. However, oligospermia and low fructose concentration are only indirect signs of aplasy/hypoplasy to the seminal vesicles, since these patients did not perform instrumental visualization of the prostatove-sicular complex. Signs of partial meiotic arrest were revealed in all patients examined using quantitative karyological analysis of immature germ cells. An increased number of abnormal sperm heads, activated acrosomes, an increased content of "immature" chromatin in sperm nuclei were found by transmission electronic microscopy. Sperm DNA fragmentation was increased (32 %, normal range <15 %) in 1 of 2 asthenoteratozoospermic patients.Conclusion. We found various sperm abnormalities and spermatology diagnoses (from normozoospermia to oligoasthenoteratozoospermia) in cystic fibrosis patients without semen ducts obstruction. No specific sperm morphology abnormalities were found. Oligospermia and a low ejaculate fructose indicate impaired seminal vesicles in some cystic fibrosis patients with no obstruction of the vas deferens.

Keywords

• cystic fibrosis
• male infertility
• vas deferens
• spermatogenesis
• sperm