Evaluation of Nicotine Deleterious Effects on Human Sperm Features

Abstract

 Background: Nicotine is a life style factor and its harmful effects  on fertility and reproduction have come to be obvious but are not valued. Therefore, this research intended to estimate the nicotine influence at different concentrations on normal human sperm features in vitro. Method: This study included 100 semen samples of non-smoking fertile men, each sample (2 ml) was divided equally to four  splits which have been  treated with diverse  nicotine concentrations ( 0 , 1,1.5 as well as 2 ) mg/ml and three periods of incubation were used in this study: 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Results :  1 mg/ml of nicotine did not effect on the sperm motility, but  1.5 and 2 mg/ml of nicotine caused a significant decline ( P ≤ 0.05) in the sperm motility as shown by an intense increase in immotile sperm and a decrease in the  progressive motility as well as there was a significant difference between these two concentrations  in compared to control, but all these concentrations did not effect on the concentration of the sperm and the percentage of abnormal sperm morphology in compared to control for all periods of incubation. Conclusion : We can conclude that  nicotine causes a marked decrease in the percentage of sperm motility and progressive motility (grade A+B) and its effect appears in a manner dependents on its concentration but it has no effect on sperm concentration and abnormal sperm morphology percentage in vitro.