The effects of age on DNA fragmentation, chromatin packaging and conventional semen parameters in spermatozoa of oligoasthenoteratozoospermic patients

109

Purpose To investigate the effects of male aging on semen quality, DNA fragmentation and chromosomal abnormalities in the spermatozoa of infertile patients and fertile men. Methods Semen samples of 140 infertile patients (24-76 years) and 50 men with proven fertility (25-65 years) were analyzed according to WHO guidelines. DNA fragmentation was detected by TUNEL assay, while aneuploidy was assessed by FISH. Results In the patient group, semen volume and vitality of spermatozoa decreased significantly with age, while sperm concentration showed a statistically significant increase with age. DNA fragmentation as well as disomy of sex chromosomes and disomy 8 did not show a statistically significant change with age. However, the diploidy rate was significantly increased with patient's age. In the control group, conventional semen parameters as well as DNA fragmentation and chromosomal abnormalities did not show a statistically significant with age. Conclusion Increased age in infertile men is associated with an increase in sperm concentration and diploidy, as well as a decline in semen volume and sperm vitality. However motility, morphology and DNA fragmentation are not affected by male age.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 46%

The effects of male aging on semen quality, sperm DNA fragmentation and chromosomal abnormalities in an infertile population

Brahem

Mehdi

Elghezal

et al. 2011

109

“…It is important to highlight that in the PR group, we observed a high mean paternal age (40.6 ± 5.6 years), which has been previously demonstrated to be associated with a decline in semen quality [34], the presence of sperm vacuoles [35], lower proportion of sperm with normal morphologies and higher DNA fragmentation rate. Therefore, the paternal age influence on the findings must not be disregarded.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Poor-responder patients do not benefit from intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection

Setti

Braga

Figueira

et al. 2015

Purpose To compare the outcomes of ICSI and IMSI in women presenting with poor ovarian response. Methods Data of IMSI cycles performed from January 2011 to December 2013 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were divided into two groups: normoresponder patients (NR group; patients with>4 oocytes retrieved) and poor-responder patients (PR group; patients with≤4 oocytes retrieved). Patients who underwent IMSI were matched with patients who underwent ICSI in the same period. The ICSI and IMSI outcomes were compared in the NR and PR groups. Results A total of 414 matched cycles were included in this study. The NR group comprised 324 cycles (164 ICSI and 160 IMSI cycles), and the PR group comprised 90 cycles (43 ICSI and 47 IMSI cycles). In the NR group, no significant differences were observed between the ICSI-and IMSI-treated couples regarding cycle outcomes. In the PR group, fertilisation rate was significantly lower in IMSI-treated couples (53.9 %± 36.7 % vs. 79.8 %±29.3 %). The proportion of cycles with embryo transfer (57.4 vs. 79.1 %) and the number of transferred embryos (1.5±0.8 vs. 1.9±0.7) were significantly lower in IMSI compared with ICSI. Implantation, pregnancy and miscarriage rates were similar when ICSI or IMSI were performed. Conclusions Our results suggest that unselected couples undergoing ICSI that present with poor ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation do not benefit from sperm selection under high magnification prior to ICSI.

“…Two further studies based on the TUNEL assay provided more coherent results. Both groups reported that male aging affects the chromatin integrity of spermatozoa, but only in infertile populations [25,26]. The modified Nicoletti assay, used in our study, is based on the long incubation time of 16-24 h, during which the DNA fragments diffuse to the extracellular medium, since the plasma membrane has been perforated by Triton-X and Na-citrate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The correlation between male age, sperm quality and sperm DNA fragmentation in 320 men attending a fertility center

Winkle¹,

Rosenbusch

Gagsteiger³

et al. 2008

Purpose To investigate the effects of male aging on sperm quality and sperm DNA fragmentation. Methods The ejaculates of 320 unselected men attending a fertility clinic and, as a control, 84 normozoospermic men without any history of ART were analyzed according to WHO guidelines. Sperm DNA fragmentation was measured by flow cytometry after staining with propidiumiodide. Results The patients were divided into four groups: <30 years, 30-35 years, 36-39 years and ≥40 years. Sperm motility decreased with increasing age whereas sperm concentration, morphology, and DNA fragmentation fluctuated throughout the four groups both among patients and among controls. However, we could not detect any significant correlation between male age and conventional semen parameters or sperm DNA fragmentation, respectively, neither in the patients' group nor among the controls. This also applies to a classification of patients and controls into only two age groups with a cut-off point at 35 years. Conclusions Our findings suggest that neither the routinely assessed semen parameters nor the amount of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA are affected by male age.