Impact of Aluminum on Sperm DNA Quality

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Status: Completed

Conditions: Insemination, Artificial

Treatments: Other: samples of sperm

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03549533

1708031

2017-A01825-48 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Between 1950 and 2013, aluminum production was multiplied by thirty in the world. Today, men's exposure to aluminum, including food products, cosmetics, air and water contamination, and a number of drugs (vaccine, gastric bandages, etc.) has never been so high and should continue to increase. At the same time, we are witnessing a decline in male fertility in Western countries.

In this context, several teams, including ours, have studied the impact of aluminum on the fertility of men. These studies have shown that aluminum accumulates in semen and especially in sperm near its DNA.

Aluminum has already shown that it is capable of damaging the DNA of various cells, especially to increase DNA fragmentation. We therefore hypothesize that aluminum could lead to increased sperm DNA fragmentation. This would result in a decrease of men fertility and in higher risk of miscarriage.

Full description

In order to confirm this hypothesis, this study aims to dose aluminum in the spermatozoa of 80 patients who perform artificial insemination and correlate this result to their sperm DNA fragmentation. Patients will be recruited from the reproductive biology unit of Saint-Etienne University Hospital. Aluminum assays will be carried out using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry technique by Prof. Exley at Keele University in Great Britain, a world expert in aluminum toxicity. Measurements of sperm DNA damage will be carried out using flow cytometry by our research team (SAINBIOSE INSERM U1059) at the Medecine Faculty of Saint-Etienne.

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patient affiliated to a social security scheme
• Patient who perform his first artificial insemination
• Patient who is 18 years old or more

Exclusion criteria

• Patient having expressed his refusal to participate in the study after information on the protocol and delivery of an information notice.
• Patient for whom the total quantity of spermatozoa is not sufficient for separation by ascending migration (in this case all the spermatozoa from the pellet are used for the insemination)
• Patient under justice protection (guardianship)

Trial design

80 participants in 1 patient group

artificial insemination

Description:

Patient who perform his first artificial insemination will be included. Samples of sperm will be analyzed.

Treatment:

Other: samples of sperm