LABORATORY REPORT - A Study on the Impact of Aflatoxin on Human Reproduction

Infertility among couples in Nigeria is causing increasing concern. Investigations have shown a relationship between abnormalities in spermatozoa/semen parameters and the incidence of male factor mediated fertility problems in couples. However, the factors responsible for the sudden increase in semen/spermatozoa abnormalities are not fully understood. In this study, blood and semen samples were collected from fifty-five adult Nigerians comprising 30 infertile and 25 fertile control individuals, and screened for the presence of aflatoxin using solvent extraction and quantitation by high performance liquid chromatography Semen parameters such as volume, viscosity; pH, fructose, spermatozoa count, morphology, and motility were determined. Blood and semen aflatoxin levels in infertile men ranged from 700 to 1392ng/ml and 60 to l48ngIml respectively and these values were significantly higher than the concentrations of the toxin in fertile men (p <0.05). Deviation from normal in semen parameters showed a definite pattern in infertile men. About 370/0 of the infertile men had aflatoxin in their blood and semen suggesting that aflatoxins may be a contributory factor to the incidence of infertility in Nigerians since the toxin has been shown to produce deleterious effect on the reproductive system.