In vitro effects of alcohol and oxidative stress on sperm cell motility and viability

Abstract

The deteriorating semen quality is one of the increasing problems of male reproductive health worldwide and the exact cause of this has not been fully understood yet. Many stress factors may affect semen quality such as sperm cell motility and viability and thus impair the fertilization outcome. Among the different stress factors, alcohol can inhibit steroidogenesis, suppresses LH release from the pituitary gland, decrease the levels of testosterone, induce apoptosis of sperm cells and reduce the anti-oxidant defence systems. However, it is not clear so far that the chronic and low dose effects of alcohol and oxidative stress on the fate of sperm cell motility and viability. A method of identification of alcohol or oxidative stress affected sperm cells by using artificial intelligence technique could be the useful tool for the treatment of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Such technology has not been available for the clinical application so far. The main objective of the study is to observe the effects of various concentrations of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide on the motility and viability of sperm cells at different time periods.