Assessment of sperm functions in infertile patients with varicoceles

Abstract

Acrosin activity, acrosome reaction and nuclear chromatin condensation were studied in 24 infertile patients with varicoceles and 26 fertile men with or without varicocele. Chromatin condensation, assessed by aniline blue staining, and acrosin activity, evaluated by gelatinolysis technique, were significantly affected in the group of infertile patients. Defective chromatin condensation and defective acrosin activity were detected in 67% and 50% of the infertile patients, respectively. No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the acrosome reaction, which was assessed by the triple staining technique after exposure of spermatozoa to low temperature (4 degrees C). This study identified a subgroup of infertile patients with normal standard semen parameters but impaired sperm functions. Results of the sperm function tests and standard semen parameters were not correlated. Therefore, it is concluded from this study that important sperm functions are impaired in patients with varicocele and that the gelatinolysis technique and aniline blue staining are effective tools for assessment of the fertilization potential of varicocele patients.

Are varicoceles associated with increased deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation?

“…In six of the seven studies, men with varicocele (and no prior infertility) were found to have higher levels of sperm DNA damage than controls (fertile men or sperm donors without varicocele) (23,24,58,(67)(68)(69)(70). In two of the studies, the presence of varicocele was specifically associated with oxidative sperm DNA damage (e.g., high levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) (59,68), suggesting that varicocele impairs spermatogenesis and induces sperm DNA damage as a result of increased oxidative stress.…”

Sperm chromatin condensation in infertile men with varicocele before and after surgical repair

“…Foresta et al (16) reported that infertile men possess a high percentage of stained spermatozoa with aniline blue versus controls. El-Segini et al (17) and Saleh et al (18) showed that infertile men with varicocele had significantly more spermatozoa with impaired chromatin condensation than fertile donors, indicating a major spermiogenic insult at the spermatid level. Fuse et al (19) reported significant increase of altered sperm chromatin structure and DNA damage in infertile men with varicocele compared with infertile men without varicocele or even fertile subjects.…”

Varicocelectomy: semen parameters and protamine deficiency

“…, 2006). This indicates that one of the spermiogenic insults affecting fertility in varicocele patients takes place at the spermatid level (El‐Segini et al. , 2002) and improved normal protamine content may in turn decrease the chance of DNA damage or fragmentation following varicocelectomy (Nasr‐Esfahani et al.…”

“…DNA integrity depends on nuclear remodelling and condensation which is associated with replacement of nuclear histones by transition proteins and then by protamines which take place in spermiogenesis (Mills & Means, 1977;Balhorn, 1982). Infertile patients with varicocele have significantly more spermatozoa with impaired chromatin condensation than both fertile normal donors and fertile subjects with varicocele (El-Segini et al, 2002). Chromomycin A3 (CMA3) has also been used to assess chromatin condensation (Sakkas et al, 1996).…”