Correlation between urinary chromium level and semen quality in men attending an andrology laboratory

Chromium is an essential element that is required for the normal physiology but can be toxic to humans above a certain level. In spite of growing interest in research on chromium exposure to human health consensus about its effect on human, semen quality has not been achieved. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of chromium exposure on semen parameters. A total of 760 males attending andrology laboratory of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, for routine semen analysis were enrolled and requested to provide semen and urine samples. The urine level of chromium was evaluated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) was applied to examine semen parameters. Associations between semen parameters and urinary chromium were analyzed by means of multivariate linear regression analysis. Multivariate analysis showed a negative association between the urinary concentrations of chromium and progressive motility ( β = − 0.014, p = 0.040) and total motility ( β = − 1.077, p = 0.048), while other semen parameters did not show any statistically significant changes. Urinary chromium could influence semen quality parameters and impair male fecundity.