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Effects of smoking on testicular function, semen quality and sperm fertilizing capacity
N Sofikitis1, I Miyagawa, D Dimitriadis
1Department of Urology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
Purpose:
The effects of smoking on testicular function and sperm physiology were studied.
Materials And Methods:
Left testicular biopsy was performed in 49 smokers and 28 nonsmokers. Seminal specimens from these men were analyzed.
Results:
Testosterone levels in the left testicular vein, left testicular androgen-binding protein secretion rate (in vitro), sperm motility, percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa, sperm morphometric parameters and outcome of sperm function tests were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in smokers than in nonsmokers.
Conclusions:
Morphological sperm abnormalities due to secretory dysfunction of the Leydig and Sertoli cells may be the cause of impaired sperm fertilizing capacity in smokers.