CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Many experimental animal models demonstrate that male alcohol consumption produces deleterious effects depending on concentration, time of exposure, form of ethanol administration and blood alcohol levels (BAL). Chronic ethanol consumption impairs male reproductive function through its action on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. At central level, ethanol inhibits LHRH release, thus decreasing LH pulses. At gonadal level, it induces testicular damage; inhibits testosterone production, alters Sertoli cells function, induces germ cell apoptosis and produces sperm abnormal morphology. To date, there is not enough information about the impact of semichronic consumption of alcohol on sperm parameters. The aim of the present study is to analyze the effects of short term ingestion of moderate concentration of ethanol on morphological and functional parameters of fertility evaluating together the effects on sperm chromatin decondensation. To perform the experiments, CF-1 male mice (60 days old) were treated with ethanol 15% in drinking water for 2 weeks (BAL: 20-65 mg/dL). At the same time, control animals received water. Sperm were recovered from epididymis and concentration, motility and viability (Hypo-osmotic swelling test, HOS) was measured as well as their morphology (Giemsa stain), sperm capacitation (Hyperactivation) and spontaneous and progesterone-induced acrosomal reaction (HOS-SPERMAC). The in vitro decondensation of the spermatozoa was performed in the presence of glutathione (10 mmol/ L) and heparin (4.6 µM) for 30 and 60 minutes. In addition, in vitro fertilization (IVF) was evaluated at different post-insemination times (2.5 (T1), 3.5 (T2) and 4.5 (T3) hours), after coincubating oocytes from CF-1 control mice with sperm from control (C) or treated CF-1 mice. Sperm from ethanol-treated mice had increased sperm percentage with abnormal head (Control = 6.9 ± 0.1 versus treated= 10.5 ± 1.5 (n= 9), p