Cigarette smoking impairs sperm bioenergetics

Abstract

, compared on page 60 the rate of sperm respiration in smokers and non-smokers. They evaluated semen samples from 20 smokers and 58 non-smokers. A phosphorescence analyzer that measures O2 concentration in sperm suspensions as function of time was used to determine the rate of respiration. The authors did not find differences between smokers and non-smokers for ejaculate volume, motility, concentration, normal morphology, viability and hypo-osmotic swelling test. The rate of sperm mitochondrial O2 consumption in the smokers was 0.96 ± 0.58 and in the non-smokers 1.39 ± 0.67 (p = 0.004). The authors concluded that the rate of sperm respiration was significantly lower in smokers. This negative impact of cigarette smoking on sperm aerobic metabolism may, in part, explain the lower rate of fertility in smokers.