Post Date December, 03 2023
1. Infection
Acute and chronic inflammation of the genital tract or reproductive glands such as the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles and prostate can reduce sperm motility. The influence of infection on sperm motility can be multifaceted. The direct effect of microorganisms on sperm, for example, mycoplasma can be adsorbed on the head, middle and tail of sperm, so that when the sperm moves forward, the hydrodynamic resistance increases and the movement speed slows down, affecting the sperm motility vitality and the ability to penetrate the egg cell. In addition, mycoplasma can cause some sperm membrane defects or even membrane structure damage, affecting the fertilization ability of sperm. E. coli can reduce sperm motility by binding to spermatogenesis through its own receptor; The indirect effect of microorganisms on sperm can be achieved by producing or releasing toxic substances. Mycoplasma produces NH3 during the growth process, which has a direct toxic effect on sperm. E. coli can produce sperm braking factor. The decrease of sperm motility caused by infection can also be achieved by changing the pH value of seminal plasma. When the pH value is lower than 7 or higher than 9, sperm motility decreases significantly. Patients with acute accessory prostatitis or epididymitis often have a slightly alkaline pH, while chronic accessory prostatitis can lower the pH below 7. In addition, the increase in white blood cells in semen caused by inflammation can lead to a decrease in sperm motility through direct and indirect reasons. The lack of sperm motility caused by prostatitis may be the result of a combination of many factors, in addition to microorganisms, white blood cells, pH value and other factors, it may also be related to zinc disorders.
2. Abnormal semen liquefaction
Non liquefaction or high viscosity of semen is one of the causes of male infertility, and a very important factor may be affecting the motility of sperm, leading to infertility. Long and slender fibrin can be seen in the non liquefied seminal plasma and interwoven with each other, reducing the space for sperm movement. Sperm is restrained, and coarse fibers are also seen connected by many fine fibers to form a network. These may be the reasons for mechanical limitations on sperm forward movement. The author of this article once found that when using urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) alone in vitro on non liquefied semen samples, when the semen changed from non liquefied to liquefied state, the sperm viability and forward movement ability were significantly improved, and the same effect was achieved with chymotrypsin.
3. Immune factors
Anti sperm antibodies (AsAb) can affect sperm fertilization function through several different pathways. The impact on sperm motility may be due to the binding of AsAb to the tail of sperm, which hinders sperm motility, reduces motility, and has poor penetration ability. This has been confirmed by the significant decrease in the ability to penetrate cervical mucus when anti sperm antibodies are present at the tail of sperm. Scholars have observed a type of sperm called quo; Chatter phenomenon; Shakingphenomenon mainly refers to the binding of anti sperm antibodies to the head and entire tail of the sperm, which inhibits the forward movement of the sperm, but there is no significant change in survival rate.
4. Endocrine factors
Endocrine hormones not only play a role in the occurrence and maturation of sperm, but also affect their motility. Gonzales et al found that prolactin in seminal plasma has a linear relationship with sperm activity. It increases sperm oxygen uptake or affects sperm motility through cAMP system. When E2 level in serum increases, sperm vitality decreases. Excessive testosterone in seminal plasma may inhibit sperm motility.
5. Kartagner's syndrome
In the early 1930s, Karnaugh first discovered a disease, which was later confirmed by other scholars as a congenital lack of ciliary structure, which was manifested in the inability of cilia of ciliary cells in the body to move, mainly the absence of ciliary dynein arms of peripheral microtubules. Patients with this syndrome may also inquire about chronic respiratory infections from their medical history, in addition to sperm motility.
6. Chromosome abnormalities
The autosomal and sex chromosome aberrations not only affect the number of sperm, but also affect the viability and forward movement of sperm. It is known that ultrastructural devices related to sperm motility can cause abnormalities in sperm tail structure due to genetic factors, such as the lack of inner or outer arms or the absence of both arms. It can also be a lack of central connection and central composite structure, as the interaction between the central microtubule and the radiating radiation can regulate the sliding of the outer microtubule. When this structure is abnormal, sperm may experience movement disorders.
