Comprehensive metabolomics profiling of seminal plasma in asthenozoospermia caused by different etiologies

Background: Asthenozoospermia (AZS) is a disease characterized by decreased sperm motility induced by multiple etiologies, and the pathological mechanisms of various AZS are unclear. We simultaneously analyzed the metabolic profiling of four representative AZS to provide new insights into the etiologies of AZS. Method: Seminal plasma samples were collected from healthy control (HC; n = 30) and four AZS induced by varicocele (VA, n = 30), obesity (OA, n = 22), reproductive system infections (RA; n = 17) and idiopathic (IA, n = 30), respectively, and were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Disturbed metabolites and metabolic pathways were compared between AZS and HC, as well as IA and the other three AZS. Results: A total of 40 different metabolites were identified in the seminal plasma of AZS and HC, of which lactic acid, fructose, citric acid, glutamine and pyruvic acid metabolic abnormalities associated with all the AZS groups, while each AZS group had unique metabolic changes. RA was significantly separated from the other three AZS, and metabolites such as cholesterol, octadecanoic acid and serine mainly contributed to the separation. Conclusion: The comprehensive metabolomic analysis and comparison of four various AZS provided evidence and clues for the mechanism mining, which will benefit future etiology, diagnosis and treatment of AZS.