The Amino Acid Profile in Seminal Plasma of Normozoospermic Men: A  Correlation Analysis with Spermiogram Parameters and Total Antioxidant Capacity

Naser  Amirjannati; Ralf  Henkel; Elham Hosseini; Peyman Choopanian; Hanieh Moghadasfar; Babak Arjmand; Lima  Asgharpour Sarouey; Azadeh Haji  Parvaneh; Kambiz  Gilany

doi:10.18502/jri.v24i4.14153

Naser Amirjannati Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Ralf Henkel LogixX Pharma, Theale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Elham Hosseini Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
Peyman Choopanian Department of Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Hanieh Moghadasfar Avicenna Fertility Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Babak Arjmand Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Lima Asgharpour Sarouey Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Azadeh Haji Parvaneh Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Kambiz Gilany Avicenna Fertility Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jri.v24i4.14153

Keywords: Amino acids, Human seminal plasma, LC-MS/MS, Spermiogram parameters, Total antioxi-dant capacity

Abstract

Background: Male infertility is usually determined by the manual evaluation of the semen, namely the standard semen analysis. It is currently impossible to predict sperm fertilizing ability based on the semen analysis alone. Therefore, a more sensitive and selective diagnosis tool is required.

Methods: Twelve fresh semen samples were collected from fertile volunteers attending the Avicenna Fertility Center (Tehran, Iran). The seminal plasma (SP) was prepared and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was analysis. Thirty-four amino acids including essential amino acids (EAA), non-essential amino acids (NEAA), and non-proteinogenic amino acids (NPAA) relative concentration were determined, and the correlation between their concentration with spermiogram parameters and TAC of the SP was analyzed.

Results: Significant positive correlations have been found between selected amino acids with the motility (Met and Gln, r_s=0.92; Cys, r_s=0.72; and Asn, r_s=0.82), normal sperm morphology (Met, r_s=0.92; Cys, r_s=0.72; Glu, r_s=0.92; and Asn, r_s=0.82), and sperm concentration (Trp, Phe, and Ala). In contrast, several AAs, including Gly, Ser, and Ile showed negative correlations with sperm concentration (r_s=-0.93, r=-0.92, and r=-0.89, respectively). Furthermore, TAC showed a positive association only with Tyr (r_s=0.79).

Conclusion: The strong positive/negative correlations between the seminal metabolic signature and spermiogram demonstrate the significance of determining metabolite levels under normal conditions for normal sperm functions. Combining the metabolome with the clinical characteristics of semen would enable clinicians to look beyond biomarkers toward the clinical interpretation of seminal parameters to explain the biological basis of sperm pathology.