Sperm DNA damage in young men working on the plateau

Objective:To investigate whether long working in the high-altitude area can damage sperm DNA in men.Methods:We enlisted 51 service men stationed on the plateau in an observation group and another 53 living in the low-altitude area in a control group.We detected and compared the damages to sperm DNA in the semen samples from the two groups using single cell gel electrophoresis and the sperm chromatin dispersion test.Results:The percentages of total,G1,G2 and G3 comet cells and abnormal sperm of the observation group were(5.56±3.98) %,(3.72±1.85) %,(1.57±1.07) %,(0.27±0.34) % and(16.59±12.07) %,respectively,before stationed on the plateau,but significantly increased at 6 months of plateau life([11.15±8.59] %,[5.97±3.26] %,[3.83±2.13] %,[1.35±1.53] % and [22.03±15.33] %,P0.05).The percentages of G2 comet cells and abnormal sperm were decreased to(3.32±1.83) % and(20.54±15.52) % at 12 months,but still significantly higher than the baseline(P0.05).Conclusion:Long working on the plateau may damage sperm DNA,but its influence on male fertility deserves further investigation.Therefore,it is important to reinforce reproductive health protection for males working on the plateau.