Which Isolated Sperm Abnormality is Most Related to Sperm DNA Damage in Men Presenting for Infertility Evaluation

Overview

Journal J Assist Reprod Genet

Publisher Springer

Specialties Genetics
Reproductive Medicine

Date 2014 Feb 26

PMID 24566945

Citations 18

Authors

Stephanie Belloc

Moncef Benkhalifa

Martine Cohen-Bacrie

Alain Dalleac

Hikmat Chahine

Edouard Amar

Armand Zini

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Sperm DNA damage is common in infertile men and is associated with poor semen parameters but the impact of an isolated sperm abnormality on sperm DNA damage has not been studied.

Objective: To evaluate sperm DNA damage in a large cohort of infertile men with isolated sperm defects.

Design, Setting And Participants: Retrospective study of 1084 consecutive, non-azoospermic infertile men with an isolated sperm defect: isolated oligozoospermia (iOligo), isolated asthenozoospermia (iAstheno) or isolated teratozoospermia (iTerato).

Outcome Measurements And Statistical Analysis: We examined and compared clinical parameters, conventional semen parameters and %sperm DNA fragmentation (%SDF, assessed by flow cytometry-based Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End-Labeling assay) in the three groups of men.

Results And Limitations: The mean (±SD) %SDF was significantly higher in the iAstheno compared to the iOligo and iTerato groups (25.0 ± 14.0 vs. 19.2 ± 11.6 and 20.7 ± 12.1 %, respectively, P < 0.0001). Similarly, the proportion of men with high %SDF (>30 %) was significantly higher in the iAstheno compared to the iOligo and iTerato groups (31 % vs. 18 % and 19 %, respectively, P < 0.0001). In the group of 713 men with iAstheno, %SDF was positively correlated with paternal age (r = 0.20, P < 0.0001) and inversely correlated with %progressive motility (r = -0.18, P < 0.0001). In the subset of 218 men with iTerato, %SDF was also positively correlated with paternal age (r = 0.15, P = 0.018) and inversely correlated with %progressive motility (r = -0.26, P = 0.0001).

Conclusions: In this large cohort of infertile men with isolated sperm abnormalities, we have found that the sperm DNA fragmentation level is highest in the men with sperm motility defects and that 31 % of these men have high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation. The data indicate that poor motility is the sperm parameter abnormality most closely related to sperm DNA damage.

Citing Articles

The correlation between abnormal Krüger strict morphology and the sperm DNA fragmentation index.

Ranzato T, Mello M, Souza P, Farias Junior L, Araujo L, Penna I JBRA Assist Reprod. 2024; 28(4):618-623.

PMID: 39626003 PMC: 11622416. DOI: 10.5935/1518-0557.20240068.

Evaluation of seminal plasma levels of vaspin and visfatin in infertile males with elevated sperm DNA fragmentation index: a comparative study.

Amer M, Youssef N, GamalEl Din S, Saied N, Ahmed M, Raef A Basic Clin Androl. 2024; 34(1):18.

PMID: 39497035 PMC: 11536921. DOI: 10.1186/s12610-024-00234-1.

Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review.

Atmoko W, Savira M, Shah R, Chung E, Agarwal A Transl Androl Urol. 2024; 13(2):260-273.

PMID: 38481866 PMC: 10932644. DOI: 10.21037/tau-23-397.

Longitudinal semen parameter assessments and live birth: variability and implications for treatment strategies.

DeVilbiss E, Sjaarda L, Peterson C, Hotaling J, Mills J, Mendola P Fertil Steril. 2022; 118(5):852-863.

PMID: 36192231 PMC: 9613540. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.08.012.

Sperm DNA fragmentation in consecutive ejaculates from patients with cancer for sperm cryopreservation.

Kim S, Paik H, Lee J, Jee B Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2022; 49(3):196-201.

PMID: 36097735 PMC: 9468694. DOI: 10.5653/cerm.2022.05323.

References

Tomlinson M, Moffatt O, Manicardi G, Bizzaro D, Afnan M, Sakkas D . Interrelationships between seminal parameters and sperm nuclear DNA damage before and after density gradient centrifugation: implications for assisted conception. Hum Reprod. 2001; 16(10):2160-5. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/16.10.2160. View

Wyrobek A, Eskenazi B, Young S, Arnheim N, Tiemann-Boege I, Jabs E . Advancing age has differential effects on DNA damage, chromatin integrity, gene mutations, and aneuploidies in sperm. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006; 103(25):9601-6. PMC: 1480453. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0506468103. View

Spano M, Bonde J, Hjollund H, Kolstad H, Cordelli E, Leter G . Sperm chromatin damage impairs human fertility. The Danish First Pregnancy Planner Study Team. Fertil Steril. 2000; 73(1):43-50. DOI: 10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00462-8. View

Varghese A, Bragais F, Mukhopadhyay D, Kundu S, Pal M, Bhattacharyya A . Human sperm DNA integrity in normal and abnormal semen samples and its correlation with sperm characteristics. Andrologia. 2009; 41(4):207-15. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0272.2009.00917.x. View

Kong A, Frigge M, Masson G, Besenbacher S, Sulem P, Magnusson G . Rate of de novo mutations and the importance of father's age to disease risk. Nature. 2012; 488(7412):471-5. PMC: 3548427. DOI: 10.1038/nature11396. View

Tarozzi N, Bizzaro D, Flamigni C, Borini A . Clinical relevance of sperm DNA damage in assisted reproduction. Reprod Biomed Online. 2007; 14(6):746-57. DOI: 10.1016/s1472-6483(10)60678-5. View

Zini A . Are sperm chromatin and DNA defects relevant in the clinic?. Syst Biol Reprod Med. 2011; 57(1-2):78-85. DOI: 10.3109/19396368.2010.515704. View

Gregoire M, Massonneau J, Simard O, Gouraud A, Brazeau M, Arguin M . Male-driven de novo mutations in haploid germ cells. Mol Hum Reprod. 2013; 19(8):495-9. DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gat022. View

Erenpreiss J, Elzanaty S, Giwercman A . Sperm DNA damage in men from infertile couples. Asian J Androl. 2008; 10(5):786-90. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-7262.2008.00417.x. View

10.

Lewis S, Aitken R . DNA damage to spermatozoa has impacts on fertilization and pregnancy. Cell Tissue Res. 2005; 322(1):33-41. DOI: 10.1007/s00441-005-1097-5. View

11.

Aoki V, Emery B, Liu L, Carrell D . Protamine levels vary between individual sperm cells of infertile human males and correlate with viability and DNA integrity. J Androl. 2006; 27(6):890-8. DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.106.000703. View

12.

Yang M, Schaich K . Factors affecting DNA damage caused by lipid hydroperoxides and aldehydes. Free Radic Biol Med. 1996; 20(2):225-36. DOI: 10.1016/0891-5849(95)02039-x. View

13.

Chi H, Chung D, Choi S, Kim J, Kim G, Lee J . Integrity of human sperm DNA assessed by the neutral comet assay and its relationship to semen parameters and clinical outcomes for the IVF-ET program. Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2012; 38(1):10-7. PMC: 3283044. DOI: 10.5653/cerm.2011.38.1.10. View

14.

Giwercman A, Lindstedt L, Larsson M, Bungum M, Spano M, Levine R . Sperm chromatin structure assay as an independent predictor of fertility in vivo: a case-control study. Int J Androl. 2009; 33(1):e221-7. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2009.00995.x. View

15.

Said T, Agarwal A, Sharma R, Thomas Jr A, Sikka S . Impact of sperm morphology on DNA damage caused by oxidative stress induced by beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Fertil Steril. 2005; 83(1):95-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.06.056. View

16.

Zini A, Sigman M . Are tests of sperm DNA damage clinically useful? Pros and cons. J Androl. 2008; 30(3):219-29. DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.108.006908. View

17.

Cooper T, Noonan E, von Eckardstein S, Auger J, Baker H, Behre H . World Health Organization reference values for human semen characteristics. Hum Reprod Update. 2009; 16(3):231-45. DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmp048. View

18.

Cho C, Willis W, Goulding E, Choi Y, Hecht N, Eddy E . Haploinsufficiency of protamine-1 or -2 causes infertility in mice. Nat Genet. 2001; 28(1):82-6. DOI: 10.1038/ng0501-82. View

19.

Cohen-Bacrie P, Belloc S, Menezo Y, Clement P, Hamidi J, Benkhalifa M . Correlation between DNA damage and sperm parameters: a prospective study of 1,633 patients. Fertil Steril. 2008; 91(5):1801-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.01.086. View

20.

de Lamirande E, Gagnon C . Reactive oxygen species and human spermatozoa. I. Effects on the motility of intact spermatozoa and on sperm axonemes. J Androl. 1992; 13(5):368-78. View