Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry
Teratozoospermia, a qualitative sperm disorder characterized by abnormal sperm morphology, represents one of the causes of male infertility worldwide. The metabolic analysis of human seminal plasma (SP), can provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of this condition, identifying nov...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2025.1578998/full |
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| author | Serena Correnti Giuseppina Fanelli Mariaimmacolata Preianò Veronica Lelli Mariagrazia Tarantino Annalisa Fregola Massimo Bitonti Emanuela Chiarella Anna Maria Timperio Sara Rinalducci Rocco Savino Rosa Terracciano |
| author_facet | Serena Correnti Giuseppina Fanelli Mariaimmacolata Preianò Veronica Lelli Mariagrazia Tarantino Annalisa Fregola Massimo Bitonti Emanuela Chiarella Anna Maria Timperio Sara Rinalducci Rocco Savino Rosa Terracciano |
| author_sort | Serena Correnti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Teratozoospermia, a qualitative sperm disorder characterized by abnormal sperm morphology, represents one of the causes of male infertility worldwide. The metabolic analysis of human seminal plasma (SP), can provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of this condition, identifying novel biomarkers and facilitating the development of diagnostic tests. In this study, an untargeted High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) approach was performed to explore SP metabolic alterations associated with teratozoospermia. SP samples from 15 teratozoospermic (TZ) vs. 20 normozoospermic (NZ) subjects were analyzed to identify metabolic pathways linked to sperm morphology dysfunction. Multivariate statistical analysis, including Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Orthogonal PLS-DA, revealed a distinct separation between TZ and NZ, highlighting 14 significantly altered metabolites. Based on Variable Importance in Projection scores, O-acetyl-L-serine showed the highest score. Main findings include alterations in Creatine, Histidine, Adenine, Allantoin and Deoxyuridine levels, suggesting perturbations in inflammation, oxidative stress and sperm DNA damage in teratozoospermia. Correlation and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses identified potential biomarkers, including O-acetyl-L-serine, Creatine, and Histidine, with robust discriminatory power (AUC >0.7). These findings highlight potential metabolic pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of teratozoospermia and provide a foundation for enabling personalized patient management with precision treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5a3a82617baa4bf2b259f860adadb1f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-889X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5a3a82617baa4bf2b259f860adadb1f52025-08-20T03:31:24ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences2296-889X2025-06-011210.3389/fmolb.2025.15789981578998Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometrySerena Correnti0Giuseppina Fanelli1Mariaimmacolata Preianò2Veronica Lelli3Mariagrazia Tarantino4Annalisa Fregola5Massimo Bitonti6Emanuela Chiarella7Anna Maria Timperio8Sara Rinalducci9Rocco Savino10Rosa Terracciano11Department of Health Sciences, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyUrogyn Biotech S. R. L., Catanzaro, ItalyUrogyn Biotech S. R. L., Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, ItalyTeratozoospermia, a qualitative sperm disorder characterized by abnormal sperm morphology, represents one of the causes of male infertility worldwide. The metabolic analysis of human seminal plasma (SP), can provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of this condition, identifying novel biomarkers and facilitating the development of diagnostic tests. In this study, an untargeted High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) approach was performed to explore SP metabolic alterations associated with teratozoospermia. SP samples from 15 teratozoospermic (TZ) vs. 20 normozoospermic (NZ) subjects were analyzed to identify metabolic pathways linked to sperm morphology dysfunction. Multivariate statistical analysis, including Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Orthogonal PLS-DA, revealed a distinct separation between TZ and NZ, highlighting 14 significantly altered metabolites. Based on Variable Importance in Projection scores, O-acetyl-L-serine showed the highest score. Main findings include alterations in Creatine, Histidine, Adenine, Allantoin and Deoxyuridine levels, suggesting perturbations in inflammation, oxidative stress and sperm DNA damage in teratozoospermia. Correlation and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses identified potential biomarkers, including O-acetyl-L-serine, Creatine, and Histidine, with robust discriminatory power (AUC >0.7). These findings highlight potential metabolic pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of teratozoospermia and provide a foundation for enabling personalized patient management with precision treatment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2025.1578998/fullmale infertilityhuman seminal plasmateratozoospermiamass spectrometrymetabolomicsbiomarkers |
| spellingShingle | Serena Correnti Giuseppina Fanelli Mariaimmacolata Preianò Veronica Lelli Mariagrazia Tarantino Annalisa Fregola Massimo Bitonti Emanuela Chiarella Anna Maria Timperio Sara Rinalducci Rocco Savino Rosa Terracciano Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences male infertility human seminal plasma teratozoospermia mass spectrometry metabolomics biomarkers |
| title | Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| title_full | Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| title_fullStr | Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| title_short | Untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| title_sort | untargeted metabolomics fingerprints in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal sperm morphology using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry |
| topic | male infertility human seminal plasma teratozoospermia mass spectrometry metabolomics biomarkers |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2025.1578998/full |
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