PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ricardo Laguna-Barraza
AU  - Marta Torres
AU  - Alexandra Calle
AU  - Mireia Dalmases
AU  - Josep Maria Montserrat
AU  - Daniel Navajas
AU  - Alfonso Gutierrez-Adan
AU  - Ramon Farré
TI  - Chronic intermittent hypoxia reduces progressive sperm motility in a mouse model of obstructive sleep apnea
DP  - 2013 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 3046
VI  - 42
IP  - Suppl 57
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/3046.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/3046.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2013 Sep 01; 42
AB  - Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by intermittent hypoxemia and oxidative stress. However, whether intermittent hypoxemia translates into hypoxia/reoxygenation at testicular tissue level is unknown. This information is of interest since it has been shown that oxidative stress stimuli other than intermittent hypoxia reduce male fertility. The aim of this study was to use a mouse model of recurrent hypoxia to measure the local changes induced in tissue oxygen partial pressure (PtO2) in testicles and to test the hypothesis that progressive sperm motility is reduced by chronic intermittent hypoxia. Methods: Testicular PtO2 was measured with a modified Clark’s polarographic micro-electrode pipette in 4 anesthetized mice subjected to intermittent hypoxia mimicking OSA (20 s at 5 % O2, 40 s at 21 % O2). Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was measured by pulseoximetry. Progressive sperm motility was measured by conventional seminogram in 10 mice chronically subjected to the hypoxic pattern at a rate of 6 h/day for 34 days and in 10 control mice. Results: SaO2 swings ranging from 94.7± 1.2 % (m ± SE) to 59.1 ± 4.6 % (p<0.001) induced swings of testicular PtO2 ranging from 10.9 ± 1.8 mmHg to 3.1 ± 1.6 mmHg (p=0.029). Progressive sperm motility was significantly (p < 0.04) reduced from 31.5 ± 3.5 % in controls to 22.9 ± 1.8 % in mice subjected to chronic intermittent hypoxia. Conclusion: Intermittent hypoxia mimicking OSA induced tissue hypoxia/reoxygenation in the testicle and resulted in a decrease of a relevant spermatic index of male fertility. These results suggest that intermittent hypoxia per se could promote fertility reduction in male OSA patients.