Sperm DNA Fragmentation is Significantly Increased in Those Men with Morphologically Abnormal Spermatozoa

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the levels of DNA fragmentation regarding to spermatozoa morphology in male infertility patients attending Andrology Laboratory at fertility center.Methods: Semen samples of 196 patients were analyzed using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA). Sperm DNA fragmentation was measured by the sperm chromatin dispersion test. According to the values of sperm morphology, the groups were conformed by teratozoospermic (105 patients) and normozoospermic (91 patients) men.Results: Subjects' ages ranged from 21 to 68 years. Teratozoospermic men were older that the normozoospermic men (39.72 ± 7.86 vs. 36.57 ± 6.29 years; P<0.05). Values of pH were similar in both evaluated groups (P:NS). Parameters of volume, concentration, motility and vitality in teratozoospermic men were significantly lower compared to those normozoospermic patients (P<0.05). High levels of DNA fragmentation were observed in those patients with abnormal sperm morphology compared to normozoospermic men (44.31 ± 7.52 vs. 34.92 ± 5.89; P<0.05). Conclusions:Men with abnormal spermatozoa morphology showed high levels of DNA fragmentation. These significantly high percentages of sperm DNA damage will be an additional factor that drastically reduces the possibility of success in these infertile men.

The IMSI Procedure Improves Laboratory and Clinical Outcomes without Compromising the Aneuploidy Rate When Compared to the Classical ICSI Procedure

“…84 However, our findings show that the aneuploidy rate remains the same between the IMSI and ICSI groups, implying that the time used for selecting the suitable MSOME grade spermatozoon on a PVP microdroplet is not detrimental to DNA integrity and does not lead to lower embryo quality or lower blastocyst development rates and that IMSI presents no apparent adverse effects. Furthermore, since no damage to DNA is done, the IMSI procedure is adequate for patients with elevated DNA fragmentation in order to select the sperm with better morphology, but without increasing the underlying DNA fragmentation since it is related to poor semen parameters 85,86 and clinical outcomes. 87 Sperm aneuploidy was not evaluated since the sperm DNA fragmentation test is simpler, easier, and less expensive and its results have been proven to be correlated to sperm parameters and clinical outcomes.…”

“…87 Sperm aneuploidy was not evaluated since the sperm DNA fragmentation test is simpler, easier, and less expensive and its results have been proven to be correlated to sperm parameters and clinical outcomes. [85][86][87] It is important to point out that aneuploidy is independent of embryo quality since a good quality blastocyst can be aneuploid and implanted, but it will result in a miscarriage. 88 This phenomenon was also observed in our PGD reports (Table 5), where a significant number of embryos achieving the blastocyst stage were aneuploid and unsuitable for transfer (16% and 22% for IMSI and ICSI, respectively; P: NS).…”

High Aneuploidy Rates Observed in Embryos Derived from Donated Oocytes are Related to Male Aging and High Percentages of Sperm DNA Fragmentation

“…17 In the past years, male aging has been associated with a decrease in serum steroid levels, testicular volume, progressive motility, daily sperm production, inhibin B/ follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, alteration in testicular histomorphology, risk of chromosomal disorders, 18,19 and a significant increase in spermatic DNA fragmentation, particularly in men 50 years. 20,21 These changes related to aging are factors that can increase the risk of aneuploidy in embryos causing failure to obtain blastocysts, blockage in embryo development after implantation, increased risk of recurrent miscarriages, reduced chance of successful implantation, and negative effects on the health of the offspring. [22][23][24] Oocyte donation is a successful and well-established treatment where the oocyte and subsequent embryo qualities are optimized by donated oocytes from young women, 25 eliminating the effect of maternal age and resulting in high pregnancy rates and good obstetrical outcomes observed in recipients.…”

“…8,13,14,16,18,20,21,22 (Abbott Laboratories), X, Y, 15, and 17 (Cellay Inc.) following the manufacturer's instructions.…”

The Impact of Single- and Double-Strand DNA Breaks in Human Spermatozoa on Assisted Reproduction

“…On the other hand, in ICSI, the embryologist arbitrarily selects the spermatozoon that appears most suitable based on criteria like motility and morphology. Since a positive correlation between the seminal parameters (motility and normal morphology) and good DNA integrity have been reported in the literature [49,50], it is possible that sperm with low SDF rate are inadvertently selected for ICSI.…”