Not only a cause of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, cigarette smoking reduces male fertility because it is a source of heavy metals. And the main culprit would be cadmium. This is what the professor’s group discovered Carlo Foresta, director of the Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine of the University of Padua, through a sophisticated technique, called scanning electron microscopy. Results exhibited at the Congress of Reproductive Medicine and Gynecology, scheduled for 10 and 11 September in the Venetian city.
Professor, why did you evaluate the influence of these heavy metals?
“In cigarette smokers a poorer sperm production has long been reported in the literature, in terms of quantity and motility. Up to 98 substances have been found in the seminal fluid. There is therefore no single cause, there are carbon derivatives. of the combustion of paper, benzene. The harmful effects of high quantities of cadmium are also known: it is not easily eliminated (some forms take up to 16 years) and tends to accumulate in organisms at toxic concentrations “.
How exactly does it work?
“It follows the trend of calcium and, above all, zinc. The latter enters the cells through specific membrane channels, which are found in the prostate, testicular and elements responsible for spermatogenesis. As long as it is present, the spermatozoon remains in the quiescient phase. , that is less active. The acquisition of motility and fertility occurs with the elimination of the metal. With a particular instrumentation we have noticed that cadmium is deposited at the level of the tail and head of the spermatozoon, blocking the zinc channel. as a brake, which hinders the motility and cellular reproduction of the male gamete, with repercussions even on the techniques of medically assisted procreation “.
How?
“In vitro the head of the spermatozoon is inserted into the oocyte in its entirety, including the membrane, destabilizing the development of the embryo. Unlike natural fertilization, where only the genetic code is released “.
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What is the impact?
“There are important data, published by various Italian groups, which have evaluated the reduction in motility and in the number of spermatozoa in relation to the quantity of cadmium present in the seminal fluid”.
How can I fix this?
“We have understood where to act. We are studying particular washes, but we believe it is an aspect to be discussed on a collective level, with all reproductive biologists. The understanding of the phenomenon and the ways in which it is determined was fundamental, not just its observation: by injecting the internal sperm into the oocyte, all those substances that adhere to the membrane are injected. The results of assisted fertilization are not so different from those of 25 years ago, despite a greater number of notions, technological, pharmacological and culture media improvements . This discovery could contribute to a change. “
Can research raise awareness in the workplace on the concentration of cadmium?
“Certainly, but the metal is also present in very polluted industrial areas. An aspect not to be overlooked”.
What is the risk with the new electronic smoking devices?
“Almost absent, in the nicotine solutions there is just no. With heated tobacco, however, the quantities of cadmium are minimal”.
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