E-mail: sil ana.an[email p o ec ed]
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one
and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and
e a ozoospe mic men
Tama a D BOGDANOVIC, Isido a M KESELJ, Sa a M RADOVIC PLETIKOSIC, Ta jana S KOSTIC,
Sil ana A ANDRIC*
Labo a o y o Rep oduc i e Endoc inology and Signaling, Labo a o y o Ch onobiology and Aging, CeRES, DBE,
Facul y o Sciences, Uni e si y o No i Sad, No i Sad, Se bia
Biologia Se bica, 2025, 47: 41-48
O iginal pape
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17679360
Summa y. Male in e ili y is a g owing global conce n, a ec ing e en men a hei ep oduc i e peak who expe ience
di icul ies in achie ing concep ion. No ably, e en men classi ied as no mozoospe mic acco ding o WHO c i e ia
o en ace (in/sub) e ili y. Ho mones such as es os e one and he s ess- ela ed co isol a e belie ed o in luence
male ep oduc i e unc ion, al hough hei speci ic oles in semen quali y emain incomple ely unde s ood. This s udy
aimed o assess es os e one and co isol concen a ions in seminal plasma and in es iga e hei associa ions wi h se-
men quali y in no mozoospe mic (N) and e a ozoospe mic (T) men. Semen samples we e collec ed om 32 pa ici-
pan s (14 N, 18 T) who we e eligible o he na ional assis ed ep oduc ion p og am. S anda d semen pa ame e s we e
analyzed, including spe m coun , mo ili y, mo phology, iscosi y, and he p esence o gela inous ma e ial. Ho mone
le els we e measu ed in he seminal plasma. G oup compa isons we e pe o med using he Mann–Whi ney es , and
associa ions be ween a iables we e e alua ed using Spea man’s co ela ion and linea eg ession analysis. The e we e
no signi ican di e ences in seminal plasma es os e one (p = 0.19) o co isol (p = 0.53) le els be ween he N and T
g oups. In addi ion, signi ican di e ences we e obse ed in spe m coun and mo phology (p < 0.0001) be ween he
g oups. In he N g oup, seminal co isol le els posi i ely co ela ed wi h spe m mo ili y ( s = 0.76), while es os e one
le els p edic ed bo h spe m mo ili y (R² = 0.2755, p = 0.0305) and iscosi y (R² = 0.6069, p = 0.0002). Addi ionally, a
mode a e nega i e co ela ion was obse ed be ween spe m coun and gela inous ma e ial in he N g oup ( s = -0.56).
In he T g oup, no able co ela ions included es os e one–co isol ( s = 0.87), mo phology– iscosi y ( s = 0.62), and a
nega i e co ela ion be ween gela inous ma e ial and mo phology ( s = -0.50). No signi ican p edic i e models we e
iden i ied in his g oup. In summa y, es os e one and co isol le els in seminal plasma a e impo an ma ke s o men’s
ep oduc i e heal h. Al hough p elimina y due o he limi ed sample size, hese indings sugges a po en ial modula-
o y ole o seminal es os e one and co isol in spe m unc ion in men wi h o he wise no mal spe m p o iles.
Keywo ds: co isol, male in e ili y, no mozoospe mia, seminal plasma, spe ma ozoa, e a ozoospe mia, es os e one.
Accep ed: 11 Sep embe 2025 / Published online: 18 Sep embe 2025
INTRODUCTION
In e ili y is a global heal h conce n, a ec ing app oxi-
ma ely 15% o couples o ep oduc i e age, wi h male ac o s
solely o pa ially con ibu ing o nea ly 40–50% o cases,
o which o almos 70% he cause is unknown (Aga wal e
al. 2021; Wu e al. 2022; Eisenbe g e al. 2023; Niede be ge
2024). Male in e ili y is ypically de ined as he inabili y o
achie e concep ion a e one yea o egula , unp o ec ed sex-
ual in e cou se and can s em om a wide ange o ana omical,
ho monal, gene ic, and li es yle- ela ed ac o s (Ba dhi and
D akopoulos 2021; Wei e al. 2024).
Semen analysis emains a co ne s one in he ini ial e al-
ua ion o male in e ili y and p o ides c i ical insigh s in o
spe m quali y and ep oduc i e po en ial. The Wo ld Heal h
O ganiza ion (WHO) has es ablished e e ence alues o key
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
T. Bogdano ic e al.
semen pa ame e s, including spe m concen a ion, mo ili y,
i ali y, and mo phology, which a e used o dis inguish be-
ween no mozoospe mia and pa hological condi ions (WHO
2021). No mozoospe mia (N) e e s o semen samples ha
mee all WHO e e ence limi s, indica ing no mal spe m
p oduc ion and unc ion. Howe e , e en among men wi h
no mozoospe mic p o iles, in e ili y may pe sis due o
sub le unc ional o molecula abno mali ies no cap u ed
by ou ine semen analysis (K ausz and Rie a-Escamilla 2018;
Flannigan 2020; Aga wal e al. 2021). In con as , e a ozoo-
spe mia (T) is cha ac e ized by an abno mally high pe cen -
age o mo phologically abno mal spe ma ozoa, o en de ined
by a h eshold o <4% no mal o ms based on s ic c i e ia
(WHO 2021). Mo phological abno mali ies can a ec he
head, midpiece, o ail o he spe m and a e associa ed wi h
educed e iliza ion capaci y, impai ed spe m-egg in e ac-
ion, and inc eased isk o DNA agmen a ion (Wu e al.
2022; Eisenbe g e al. 2023). Al hough e a ozoospe mia can
exis in isola ion, i equen ly co-occu s wi h o he semen
abno mali ies and has been linked o unde lying ho monal
o gene ic dis up ions.
Among he endoc ine ac o s in luencing male e il-
i y, es os e one and co isol ha e eme ged as pi o al egu-
la o s. Tes os e one, syn hesized in he Leydig cells o he
es es unde he s imula ion o lu einizing ho mone, is es-
sen ial no only o he de elopmen and main enance o
spe ma ogenesis, sexual unc ion, and seconda y male cha -
ac e is ics, bu also o homeos asis o o e all heal h (K ausz
and Rie a-Escamilla 2018; Flannigan 2020). De iciencies in
es os e one can impai Se oli cell unc ion and hal spe -
ma ogenic p og ession, o en esul ing in oligozoospe mia,
azoospe mia, o e a ozoospe mia (Aga wal e al. 2021; Wu
e al. 2022). Con e sely, co isol, a glucoco icoid ho mone
p oduced in esponse o s ess ia ac i a ion o he hypo ha-
lamic-pi ui a y-ad enal axis, exe s a nega i e in luence on
ep oduc i e ho mones. While sho - e m co isol ele a ions
se e p o ec i e and adap i e oles, ch onic ele a ions (seen
in pe sis en psychological o physiological s ess) can dis-
up he hypo halamic-pi ui a y-ad enal axis and supp ess
es os e one p oduc ion (Whi ledge and Cidlowski 2010).
This supp ession has been shown o co ela e wi h impai ed
spe ma ogenesis and sub e ili y in bo h animal models and
human s udies (Gómez-Elías e al. 2019; Sil a e al. 2022).
Fu he mo e, co isol exe s a di ec nega i e impac on
he es es, po en ially inducing oxida i e s ess, impai ing
Leydig cell unc ion, and p omo ing apop osis in ge m cells
(Bish e al. 2017; Sil a e al. 2022). Ele a ed co isol le els
ha e also been associa ed wi h inc eased le els o eac i e
oxygen species (ROS), which can damage spe m DNA and
educe pa ame e s c i ical o success ul e iliza ion, such as
mo ili y and iabili y (Aga wal e al. 2021; Wu e al. 2022).
Impo an ly, es os e one and co isol exis in ecip ocal e-
la ionships. This es os e one- o-co isol a io has eme ged
as a po en ial bioma ke o ep oduc i e heal h. Lowe a ios
ha e been associa ed wi h educed semen quali y, includ-
ing poo e spe m mo phology and mo ili y (Tai son e al.
2022). The dynamic in e play be ween hese ho mones has
gained a en ion in ecen yea s as a po en ial con ibu o o
male in e ili y (Gómez-Elías e al. 2019). No ably, e en in
men wi h no mozoospe mia, ele a ed co isol o supp essed
es os e one may nega i ely in luence e ili y by a ec ing
spe m unc ionali y, capaci a ion, and e iliza ion po en ial
(Eisenbe g e al. 2023; Wei e al. 2024).
In clinical p ac ice, i is inc easingly ecognized ha
s anda d semen pa ame e s may no ully cap u e he
complexi y o male in e ili y. Ho monal p o iling (includ-
ing measu emen s o co isol and es os e one) in seminal
plasma alongside ad anced assessmen s such as spe m DNA
agmen a ion es s o oxida i e s ess ma ke s, may p o ide
a mo e comp ehensi e unde s anding o he unde lying e i-
ology, especially in cases o unexplained in e ili y o isola ed
e a ozoospe mia wi hin a no mozoospe mic con ex (Aga -
wal e al. 2021; Ky gia ini and Mamu is 2023).
Acco dingly, ou s udy aimed o assess es os e one and
co isol concen a ions in seminal plasma and in es iga e
hei associa ions wi h semen quali y in men wi h no mo-
zoospe mia (N) and e a ozoospe mia (T).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
All expe imen s we e pe o med in he Labo a o y o
Rep oduc i e Endoc inology and Signaling and Labo a o y
o Ch onobiology and Aging, Facul y o Sciences, Uni e si y
o No i Sad (h ps://wwwold.dbe.pm .uns.ac. s/en/nauka-
eng/la es).
E hical app o al
Human ma e ial used in his s udy was ob ained
h ough p o bono collabo a ion es ablished wi h e ili y
clinics. E hical app o al o he s udy was g an ed by he E h-
ical Commi ee o he Medical Facul y Uni e si y o Belg ade
(1322/X-10, 10/10/2022) acco ding o he e hical s anda ds
laid down in he Decla a ion o Helsinki. W i en in o med
consen was ob ained om all pa icipan s.
S udy popula ion and pa icipan s
Human pa icipan s who we e used o collec ing ma-
e ial we e pa icipan s en e ing he na ional assis ed ep o-
duc i e echnology p og am. I is impo an o poin ou
ha he selec ion o he pa icipan s was done only using he
spe miog am’s pa ame e s c i e ia. Al hough use ul, addi-
42 Biologia Se bica 47
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
ional exclusion c i e ia ha could a ec semen pa ame e s,
such as he pa ien ’s medical his o y, p esence o sexually
ansmi ed in ec ions, ho monal imbalances, ecen medica-
ion use, o li es yle ac o s (e.g. smoking, alcohol consump-
ion) we e no conside ed. Only pa icipan s wi h no mo-
zoospe mic (N) and e a ozoospe mic (T) diagnosis we e
selec ed o he s udy. Pa icipan ec ui men ook place
om Oc obe 2020 o July 2021.
Semen pa ame e analysis
The seminal samples we e analyzed a e comple e
lique ac ion a oom empe a u e and manual semen
analysis was pe o med acco ding o he guidelines o
he WHO labo a o y manual o examining and p ocess-
ing human semen (h ps://i is.who.in /bi s eam/han-
dle/10665/44261/9789241547789_eng.pd ). Rou ine semen
es s we e pe o med o analyze he semen pa ame e s.
Samples we e u he used o he p ocedu e o assis ed
ep oduc i e echnology, while he es o he sample was
cen i uged a 1800 pm o 5 minu es. The supe na an was
ans e ed o new ubes, ozen a -20°C, and used o he
ho mone concen a ions measu emen .
Ho mone le els in seminal plasma
Tes os e one le els we e measu ed by ECLIA (Elec o-
chemiluminescen Immunoassay) using he cobas e 411 im-
munoassay analyze . All samples we e measu ed in duplica e
in one assay wi h a sensi i i y ange o 0.087-52.0 nmol/L
(de ined by he Limi o De ec ion and he maximum o he
mas e cu e). Fo seminal plasma co isol le els, all samples
we e measu ed in duplica e, in one assay by ECLIA using
cobas e 411 immunoassay analyze wi h a measu ing ange
o 1.5-1750 nmol/L (de ined by he Limi o De ec ion and
he maximum o he mas e cu e).
S a is ical analysis
Da a a e p esen ed as g oup means ± SEM o e lec
indi idual a ia ion, and isualized using box-and-whiske
plo s. Fo compa isons wi hin he same g oup, he Wilcoxon
ma ched-pai s signed- ank es was applied, while compa i-
sons be ween independen g oups we e analyzed using he
Mann–Whi ney U es . Co ela ions we e assessed using
Spea man’s ank co ela ion coe icien , and linea eg ession
analysis was pe o med o explo e associa ions be ween con-
inuous a iables. P io o analysis, all da a we e subjec ed
o loga i hmic ans o ma ion due o non-no mal dis ibu-
ion, ensu ing he alidi y o nonpa ame ic and eg ession
me hods. All he s a is ical analyses we e pe o med using
G aphPad P ism 8 So wa e (G aphPad So wa e 287 Inc.,
La Jolla, CA, USA). In all cases, a p- alue <0.05 was s a is i-
cally signi ican .
RESULTS
To unde s and he co ela ion be ween es os e one and
co isol concen a ions in seminal plasma and hei associa-
ions wi h semen quali y in men, he samples o seminal plas-
ma and pa ame e s o spe miog ams ob ained om men wi h
no mozoospe mia (N) and e a ozoospe mia (T) we e used.
The le els o es os e one and co isol in he seminal
plasma o no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
In he no mozoospe mic g oup (N = 14), he e was no
s a is ically signi ican di e ence be ween es os e one and
co isol concen a ions measu ed wi hin he same samples
(Fig. 1A). In con as , in he e a ozoospe mic g oup (T =
18), es os e one le els we e signi ican ly lowe han co isol
le els (p = 0.0385, Fig. 1B). Subsequen ly, he co ela ion
be ween hese wo da a we e e alua ed in bo h g oups using
Spea man’s co ela ion coe icien (
s
). Spea man’s co ela ion
analysis showed a mode a e co ela ion ( s = 0.52) be ween
es os e one and co isol le els in he seminal plasma o he
no mozoospe mic g oup (Fig. 1C), while in he e a oozoo-
spe mic g oup a e y s ong posi i e co ela ion (
s
= 0.87, p
< 0.0001) was obse ed (Fig. 1D). This inding is u he sup-
po ed by a lowe T/C a io in he e a ozoospe mic g oup,
po en ially indica ing a shi owa d a ca abolic ho monal
p o ile (T/C = 1.11 in N g oup, T/C = 0.73 in T g oup).
Co ela ion o seminal es os e one and co isol wi h
pa ame e s o spe miog am ob ained om no mozoo-
spe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
Ho mone le els we e compa ed be ween g oups using
a Mann-Whi ney es , which e ealed no s a is ically signi i-
can di e ences. The same es was applied o spe miog am
pa ame e s. Ou analysis shows a signi ican di e ence in
spe m numbe and mo phology (p < 0.0001, Fig. 2A), while
no signi ican di e ences we e obse ed in o he examined
spe miog am pa ame e s. Spea man’s co ela ion analysis
was pe o med o examine he ela ionship among ho mone
le els and spe miog am pa ame e s wi hin each g oup (Fig.
2B). The esul s a e isualized as a co ela ion ma ix. In no
-
mozoospe mic g oup a mode a e posi i e co ela ion was
de ec ed be ween co isol and spe m mo ili y ( s = 0.76, p =
0.002), while a nega i e ai co ela ion was shown be ween
spe m numbe and gela inous clamp ( s = -0.56, p = 0.04).
Meanwhile, in he e a oozoospe mic g oup a e y s ong
co ela ion was obse ed be ween co isol and es os e one
( s = 0.87, p < 0.0001), a mode a e co ela ion be ween spe -
Biologia Se bica 47 43
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
T. Bogdano ic e al.
Fig. 1. Co ela ion o es os e one and co isol concen a ions in seminal plasma o no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men. A, Con-
cen a ion o es os e one and co isol in no mozoospe mic men and in B, e a ozoospe mic men, compa ed using a Wilcoxon ma ched-
pai s es . C, Spea man’s co ela ion o es os e one and co isol in seminal plasma o no mozoospe mic and D, e a ozoospe mic pa -
icipan s. Co isol and es os e one in seminal plasma we e measu ed by ECLIA (Eec ochemiluminescence Immunoassay) using cobas
e 411 immunoassay analyze . The Shapi o-Wilk es was used o assess he da a dis ibu ion. As he da a we e no no mally dis ibu ed,
non-pa ame ic es s we e used. Box and whiske plo s show he meaning and he pa icipan s’ indi idual alues. s- indica es Spea man’s
co ela ion coe icien . The numbe s in he b acke s abo e indica e he numbe o pa icipan s pe g oup. S a is ical signi icance was se a
p < 0.05.
44 Biologia Se bica 47
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
Fig. 2. Compa a i e analysis o ho monal le els and semen pa ame e s be ween no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic g oups and hei
associa ions. A, A non-pa ame ic Mann-Whi ney U es is used o compa ison o ho monal le els and semen pa ame e s in no mozoo-
spe mic and e a ozoospe mic men. A s a is ically signi ican educ ion in spe m numbe and he pe cen age o mo phologically no mal
spe ma ozoa was obse ed in he e a ozoospe mic g oup compa ed o no mozoospe mic (p < 0.0001). B, Co ela ion ma ices illus a e
associa ions be ween ho monal le els and semen pa ame e s wi hin each g oup. Spea man coe icien ( s) is colo coded, blue showing
posi i e co ela ion and ed showing nega i e co ela ion. The mode a e co ela ion in no mozoospe mic g oup is obse ed be ween co -
isol and spe m mo ili y ( s = 0.76, p = 0.002), while he nega i e ai co ela ion in he same g oup is de ec ed be ween spe m numbe and
gela inous clamp ( s = -0.56, p = 0.04). Meanwhile, in he e a ozoospe mic g oup, a e y s ong co ela ion was obse ed be ween co isol
and es os e one ( s = 0.87, p < 0.0001), a mode a e co ela ion be ween spe ma ozoa wi h no mal mo phology and iscosi y ( s = 0.62, p =
0.006), and a nega i e ai co ela ion be ween gela ionous clamp and spe ma ozoa wi h no mal mo phology ( s = -0.50, p = 0.034). Linea
eg ession C, shows posi i e ela ionship o es os e one le els wi h spe m mo ili y and iscosi y in no mozoospe mic men. S onge asso-
cia ion is ound be ween es os e one and iscosi y (R2 = 0.61, p = 0.0002) while es os e one has a weake associa ion wi h spe m mo ili y
(R2 = 0.28, p = 0.03). S a is ical signi icance was se a le el p < 0.05.
Biologia Se bica 47 45
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
T. Bogdano ic e al.
ma ozoa wi h no mal mo phology and iscosi y (
s
= 0.62, p
= 0.006), and a nega i e ai co ela ion be ween gela ionous
clamp and spe ma ozoa wi h no mal mo phology (
s
= -0.50,
p = 0.034).
Seminal es os e one and co isol: po en ial bioma ke s
o semen quali y in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoo-
spe mic men
Based on he ini ial co ela ion indings, a linea eg es-
sion analysis was conduc ed o de e mine whe he ho monal
le els con ibu e o a ia ions in semen pa ame e s (Fig. 2C).
In he no mozoospe mic g oup, a posi i e ela ionship o es-
os e one le els wi h spe m mo ili y and iscosi y was de e -
mined. S onge associa ion was ound be ween es os e one
and iscosi y (R2 = 0.61, p = 0.0002) while he es os e one
has weake associa ion wi h spe m mo ili y (R2 = 0.28, p =
0.03). No associa ions we e ound in e a ozoospe mic g oup.
DISCUSSION
Male in e ili y is a he e ogeneous condi ion whe e
ho monal balance, pa icula ly in ol ing co isol and es-
os e one, plays a cen al ole in de e mining semen quali y,
including spe m mo phology and unc ion. Unde s anding
he in e play be ween hese ho mones and hei associa ion
wi h no mozoospe mia and e a ozoospe mia can help im-
p o e diagnos ic accu acy and in o m mo e a ge ed ea -
men s a egies.
The p esen s udy p o ides insigh s in o he complex
in e play be ween seminal es os e one and co isol le els
and semen quali y in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe -
mic men (Fig. 3). Al hough he seminal concen a ions o
hese ho mones did no di e signi ican ly be ween he wo
g oups, he signi ican co ela ion be ween es os e one and
co isol le els in seminal plasma was obse ed only in he
e a ozoospe mic g oup, while in he no mozoospe mic
g oup co ela ion was no signi ican . The signi ican co
-
ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol le els in
he e a ozoospe mic g oup may sugges po en ial unc ional
oles in modula ing spe m physiology, e en in he absence
o o e ho monal imbalances.
The lack o signi ican di e ences in es os e one and
co isol concen a ions be ween no mozoospe mic and e a-
ozoospe mic men is consis en wi h p io obse a ions ha
con en ional ho mone le els may no always e lec sub le
endoc ine in luences on spe m unc ion (Ca lsen e al. 2005;
Dohle e al. 2010). None heless, he obse ed s ong posi i e
co ela ion be ween es os e one and co isol in bo h g oups
unde sco es a igh ly egula ed in a-seminal ho monal mi-
lieu, possibly indica i e o a coo dina ed endoc ine esponse
ele an o ep oduc i e homeos asis (Tilb ook e al. 2000).
In no mozoospe mic men, seminal co isol le els
showed a signi ican ye mode a e posi i e co ela ion wi h
spe m mo ili y (
s
= 0.76), a inding ha aligns wi h e idence
sugges ing ha glucoco icoids a physiological le els may
play suppo i e oles in spe m ma u a ion and ene gy me-
abolism (Whi ledge and Cidlowski 2010). The p edic i e
alue o es os e one o spe m mo ili y (R² = 0.2755) and
seminal iscosi y (R² = 0.6069) u he highligh s he and o-
genic in luence on epididymal unc ion and seminal plasma
composi ion, bo h c i ical o spe m anspo and e iliza-
ion po en ial (Konda ewicz e al. 2022).
In e es ingly, he nega i e and weak co ela ion (
s
=-
0.56) be ween spe m coun and he p esence o gela inous
ma e ial in he no mozoospe mic g oup sugges s ha he
biophysical cha ac e is ics o seminal luid, including i s is-
cosi y and coagula ion, may no se e as indi ec ma ke s o
spe ma ogenic ou pu . This associa ion is biologically plau-
sible gi en ha seminal esicle sec e ions con ibu e bo h o
seminal olume and o he gela inous ac ion o he ejacula e
and a e in luenced by and ogens (Rod iguez-Ma inez 2003).
In con as , he e a ozoospe mic g oup exhibi ed a
di e en pa e n o associa ions. A obus es os e one–co -
isol co ela ion ( s = 0.87) was p esen , which may e lec a
common egula o y axis o s ess-induced modula ion in he
es icula o accesso y gland en i onmen . Howe e , he lack
o p edic i e powe o ho mone le els in ela ion o spe m
pa ame e s in his g oup sugges s a dis up ed o less e icien
ho monal egula ion o spe m ma u a ion and quali y in he
p esence o mo phological abno mali ies. The signi ican
co ela ion be ween spe m mo phology and iscosi y (
s
=
0.62) may e lec changes in he biochemical en i onmen o
he seminal plasma ha ad e sely a ec spe m mo phology,
while he nega i e co ela ion be ween gela inous ma e ial
and mo phology ( = -0.50) could indica e an imbalance in
seminal coagula ion dynamics o sec e o y unc ion o acces-
so y glands in hese indi iduals (T da e al. 2015).
Despi e he small sample size, he da a p esen ed he e
emphasize he po en ial u ili y o seminal co isol and es-
os e one measu emen s as supplemen a y ma ke s o spe m
unc ion, pa icula ly in no mozoospe mic indi iduals who
p esen wi h unexplained sub e ili y. The indings suppo
he hypo hesis ha local ho mone concen a ions in he
seminal plasma, a he han sys emic le els alone, may p o-
ide mo e physiologically ele an insigh s in o male e ili y
s a us (Beh e e al. 1997; F aczek and Ku pisz 2015).
The implica ions o hese indings a e wo old. Fi s ,
hey highligh he need o a mo e nuanced e alua ion o
no mozoospe mic men in in e ili y assessmen s, as adi-
ional semen analysis may o e look unde lying ho monal
o biochemical dis up ions ha a ec e ili y po en ial. Sec-
ond, hey sugges ha in eg a ing seminal ho monal p o-
46 Biologia Se bica 47
In es iga ing he co ela ion be ween seminal es os e one and co isol and semen pa ame e s in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men
iling wi h con en ional semen pa ame e s could enhance
diagnos ic sensi i i y and in o m indi idualized he apeu ic
s a egies, such as an ioxidan , an i-in lamma o y, o ho
-
monal modula ion he apies (Ai ken and Roman 2008).
Fu u e esea ch wi h la ge coho s and longi udinal
designs is wa an ed o alida e hese p elimina y associa-
ions and o elucida e he mechanis ic unde pinnings o ho -
mone–spe m in e ac ions in bo h e ile and in e ile men.
Mo eo e , inco po a ing molecula bioma ke s, oxida i e
s ess indices, and assessmen s o he hypo halamic–pi u-
i a y–gonadal axis could p o ide deepe insigh s in o he
e iopa hogenesis o male in e ili y ac oss he spe m mo -
phology spec um.
The clinical ele ance o his ho monal in e play is sig-
ni ican (Segup a e al. 2021). Men exposed o ch onic s ess,
un ea ed dep ession, nigh shi wo k, o me abolic diso -
de s o en exhibi ele a ed co isol and subop imal es os e -
one le els, condi ions which co ela e wi h educed semen
quali y, dec eased libido, and impai ed ep oduc i e capaci y
(Gómez-Elías e al. 2019; Tai son e al. 2022; Eisenbe g e
al. 2023). The apeu ic s a egies aimed a educing co isol
le els ( h ough s ess managemen , li es yle in e en ions,
o pha macological app oaches) may help es o e ho monal
homeos asis and imp o e e ili y ou comes in selec ed in-
di iduals.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This s udy was suppo ed by he Science Fund o he
Republic o Se bia (G an . No. 14977 Mi o-Spe m-Signa-
u e), he Minis y o Science, Technological De elopmen
and Inno a ion o he Republic o Se bia (G an s No. 451-
03-137/2025-03/200125, 451-03-136/2025-03/200125 and
CIV-CeRES-2024 g an ), he Au onomous P o ince o Vo-
j odina (g an APV9418) and he ANDRONET ac ion. We
a e immensely g a e ul o e e yone who pa icipa ed in he
echnical collec ion o samples, he subjec s and he s a o
he assis ed ep oduc ion clinics.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
All ele an da a and samples a e a ailable om he
co esponding au ho on eques . Fu he in o ma ion and
eques s o esou ces and eagen s should be di ec ed o and
will be ul illed by he Lead Con ac , Sil ana And ic (sil ana.
[email p o ec ed]s ).
Au ho ’s con ibu ions s a emen
T.D.B. – acquisi ion o he da a; analysis and in e p e a-
ion o he da a; d a ing he manusc ip ; e ising manusc ip
c i ically o impo an in ellec ual con en ; inal app o al o
he e sion o be submi ed; I.M.K. – acquisi ion o he da a;
analysis and in e p e a ion o he da a; e ising manusc ip
c i ically o impo an in ellec ual con en ; inal app o al
o he e sion o be submi ed; S.M.R.P. – acquisi ion o he
da a; analysis and in e p e a ion o he da a; e ising manu-
sc ip c i ically o impo an in ellec ual con en ; inal ap-
p o al o he e sion o be submi ed; T.S.K. – acquisi ion
o he da a; analysis and in e p e a ion o he da a; e ising
manusc ip c i ically o impo an in ellec ual con en ; inal
app o al o he e sion o be submi ed; S.A.A. – he con-
Fig. 3. Seminal es os e one and co isol: po en ial modula o s o spe m unc ion in no mozoospe mic and e a ozoospe mic men.
Biologia Se bica 47 47
T. Bogdano ic e al.
cep ion and design o he esea ch; acquisi ion o he da a;
analysis and in e p e a ion o he da a; d a ing he manu-
sc ip ; e ising manusc ip c i ically o impo an in ellec-
ual con en ; inal app o al o he e sion o be submi ed.
All au ho s - app o ed he inal e sion o he manusc ip
ag ee o be accoun able o all aspec s o he wo k in ensu -
ing ha ques ions ela ed o he accu acy o in eg i y o any
pa o he wo k a e app op ia ely in es iga ed and esol ed;
quali y o au ho ship, and all hose who quali y o au ho -
ship a e lis ed.
Con lic o in e es s a emen
The au ho s decla e no compe ing in e es s.
Funding
This s udy was suppo ed by he Science Fund o he
Republic o Se bia (G an . No. 14977 Mi o-Spe m-Signa-
u e), he Minis y o Science, Technological De elopmen
and Inno a ion o he Republic o Se bia (G an s No. 451-
03-137/2025-03/200125, 451-03-136/2025-03/200125 and
CIV-CeRES-2024 g an ) and he Au onomous P o ince o
Voj odina (g an APV9418).
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