Microbiome Influence on Seminal Quality

Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, IVI Alicante

Status: Completed

Conditions: Infertility, Male

Treatments: Other: Microbiome analysis

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04784260

1911-ALC-100-ES

Details and patient eligibility

About

The microbiome plays an important role in health and in some unknown etiologies. Some previous studies have identified bacteria in semen as a potential factor in male infertility. More studies are needed to discover associations between microbiomes and semen quality. In this study, forty semen samples from donors candidates will be collected where clinical criteria for seminal quality (volume, concentration, motility and morphology) will be measured and bacterial communities examined. With the next-generation sequencing of gene technology and bioinformatic analysis, we can investigate the associations between bacterial communities and seminal quality. It would be interesting to know if the proportion of certain bacteria is significantly higher in samples of normal seminal quality or significantly higher in samples of low seminal quality. This study could contribute to the current understanding of certain etiologies of male fertility.

Full description

Surplus semen samples will be collected from donor candidates who come to the IVI Alicante clinic with ages between 18 and 35 years old and who intend to participate in the donation program for the semen bank, and come to evaluate their quality. Informed consent for this study will be given to all of them, which they will have to return signed.

Depending on the semen quality evaluated in the diagnostic sample within the usual practice, in the laboratory the participants will be divided into 2 groups according to the WHO reference values in terms of sperm concentration and percentage of progressive motility:

• Group A (Normozoospermics): ≥15 mill / ml and> 32% progressive mobility.
• Group B (Non-normozoospermic): <15 mill / ml and <32% progressive mobility. The study will consist of 2 years. The first year will be used to collect all the diagnostic seminal samples from donor candidates, and the second year will be used in its first months to analyze the microbiome by extracting DNA from ejaculates, amplifying bacterial DNA with targeted primers. to the bacterial 16S rRNA gene regions, sequencing, library preparation and bioinformatic analysis.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18-35 years. Suitable on your first informational visit.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of own or hereditary pathology. Presence of mental or behavioral disturbance

Trial design

40 participants in 2 patient groups

Group A (normozoospermic): >15 mill/ml and >32% progressive mobility.

Description:

Analysis of the microbiome by extracting DNA from ejaculates, amplification of bacterial DNA with feeders aimed at the regions of the bacterial rRNA 16 S gene, sequencing, library preparation and bioinformatic analysis.

Treatment:

Other: Microbiome analysis

Group B (normozoospérmic): <15 mill/ml and <32% progressive mobility.

Description:

Analysis of the microbiome by extracting DNA from ejaculates, amplification of bacterial DNA with feeders aimed at the regions of the bacterial rRNA 16 S gene, sequencing,library preparation and bioinformatic analysis.

Treatment:

Other: Microbiome analysis