Rabia Alghazeer

University of Tripoli, Libya

Title: Assessment of protein carbonylation as a key indicator of oxidative damage in infertile men

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Biography

Abstract

Background: Infertility affects around 15% of couples of reproductive age, with male factor infertility accounting for nearly 50% of cases. Oxidative stress is a significant contributor to male infertility, causing damage to sperm DNA, lipids, and proteins. Protein carbonylation serves as a key marker of oxidative damage but has been infrequently studied in infertile men.

Objective: This study aims to compare protein carbonylation levels in the seminal plasma of infertile men and fertile donors, and to examine its relationship with conventional semen parameters.

Methodology: The study will recruit 50 infertile patients and 50 proven fertile donors, all providing informed consent. Semen analysis will follow WHO guidelines, categorizing participants into normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic groups. Protein carbonylation levels in seminal plasma will be measured spectrophotometrically. Statistical analyses, including t-tests and correlation assessments, was performed.

Results: Participants were divided into three groups based on protein carbonyl (PC) concentration: G1 (PC < 0.65), G2 (0.65 ? PC ? 2.23), and G3 (PC > 2.23), with G1 as the control. Significant differences in sperm motility were observed among the groups (p-values < 0.001), with G1 showing higher motility than G3, suggesting that lower PC concentrations are associated with better sperm motility.

Conclusion: The study found significant differences in protein carbonyl levels between infertile patients and controls, highlighting the importance of protein carbonylation as an indicator of oxidative stress. These findings could improve the assessment and management of oxidative stress-related infertility.