Relevance of PUFA-derived metabolites in seminal plasma to male infertility

Aim: This study aims to investigate the biological effects of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-derived metabolites in seminal plasma on male fertility and to evaluate the potential of PUFA as a biomarker for normozoospermic male infertility.

Methods: From September 2011 to April 2012, We collected semen samples from 564 men aged 18 to 50 years old (mean=32.28 years old)ch., residing in the Sandu County, Guizhou Province, China. The donors included 376 men with normozoospermia (fertile: n=267; infertile: n=109) and 188 men with oligoasthenozoospermia (fertile: n=121; infertile: n=67). The samples thus obtained were then analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to detect the levels of PUFA-derived metabolites in April 2013. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2020, to May 15, 2022.

Results: Our analysis of propensity score-matched cohorts revealed that the concentrations of 9/26 and 7/26 metabolites differed significantly between fertile and infertile men with normozoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia, respectively (FDR < 0.05). In men with normozoospermia, higher levels of 7(R)-MaR1 (HR: 0.4 (95% CI [0.24, 0.64]) and 11,12-DHET (0.36 (95% CI [0.21, 0.58]) were significantly associated with a decreased risk of infertility, while higher levels of 17(S)-HDHA (HR: 2.32 (95% CI [1.44, 3.79]), LXA5 (HR: 8.38 (95% CI [4.81, 15.24]), 15d-PGJ2 (HR: 1.71 (95% CI [1.06, 2.76]), and PGJ2 (HR: 2.28 (95% CI [1.42, 3.7]) correlated with an increased risk of infertility. Our ROC model using the differentially expressed metabolites showed the value of the area under the curve to be 0.744.

Conclusion: The PUFA-derived metabolites 7(R)-MaR1, 11,12-DHET, 17(S)-HDHA, LXA5, and PGJ2 might be considered as potential diagnostic biomarkers of infertility in normozoospermic men.