DNA Fragmentation in Concert with the Simultaneous Assessment of Cell Viability in a Subfertile Population: Establishing Thresholds of Normality Both Before and After Density Gradient Centrifugation

Overview

Journal J Assist Reprod Genet

Publisher Springer

Specialties Genetics
Reproductive Medicine

Date 2019 May 16

PMID 31089933

Citations 8

Authors

U Punjabi

H Van Mulders

I Goovaerts

K Peeters

E Roelant

D De Neubourg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: TUNEL assay is the most common, direct test for sperm chromatin integrity assessment. But, lack of standardized protocols makes interlaboratory comparisons impossible. Consequently, clinical thresholds to predict the chance of a clinical pregnancy also vary with the technique adopted. This prospective study was undertaken to assess the incidence of sperm DNA fragmentation in a subfertile population and to establish threshold values of normality as compared to a fertile cohort, both before and after density gradient centrifugation in the total and vital fractions.

Method: Men presenting at a university hospital setup for infertility treatment. DNA damage via TUNEL assay was validated on fresh semen samples, as conventional semen parameters, to reduce variability of results.

Results: Total DNA fragmentation in the neat semen was significantly higher in the subfertile group, but the vital fraction was not significantly different between the two cohorts. After gradient centrifugation, DNA fragmentation increased significantly in the total fraction of the subfertile group but decreased significantly in the vital fraction. In the fertile cohort, there was a non-significant increase in total fragmentation and in the vital fraction the trend was unclear.

Conclusions: Estimating total and vital sperm DNA fragmentation, after density gradient centrifugation, increased both the sensitivity and the specificity, thereby lowering the number of false negatives and false positives encountered. These findings provide opportunities to investigate the significance of the total and the vital fractions after different assisted reproductive technologies.

Citing Articles

Reduced SIRT1 and SIRT3 and Lower Antioxidant Capacity of Seminal Plasma Is Associated with Shorter Sperm Telomere Length in Oligospermic Men.

Dhillon V, Shahid M, Deo P, Fenech M Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(2).

PMID: 38255792 PMC: 10815409. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020718.

Sperm DNA Fragmentation after Cryopreservation and Sperm Selection Has No Implications for Clinical Pregnancies and Live Births after Intrauterine Insemination with Donor Sperm.

Sugihara A, Punjabi U, Chimienti T, Goovaerts I, Peeters K, Bouziotis J J Pers Med. 2023; 13(12).

PMID: 38138895 PMC: 10745103. DOI: 10.3390/jpm13121668.

Antioxidants in Male Infertility-If We Want to Get This Right We Need to Take the Bull by the Horns: A Pilot Study.

Punjabi U, Goovaerts I, Peeters K, De Neubourg D Antioxidants (Basel). 2023; 12(10).

PMID: 37891884 PMC: 10603832. DOI: 10.3390/antiox12101805.

Semen Thresholds of Normality Established by the WHO Do Not Reveal Genome Instability-A Potential Occult Male Factor.

Punjabi U, Goovaerts I, Peeters K, De Neubourg D Genes (Basel). 2023; 14(2).

PMID: 36833166 PMC: 9957300. DOI: 10.3390/genes14020239.

Is There a Relationship between Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Intra-Uterine Insemination Outcome in Couples with Unexplained or Mild Male Infertility? Results from the ID-Trial.

Sugihara A, Punjabi U, Roelant E, De Neubourg D Life (Basel). 2023; 13(1).

PMID: 36675960 PMC: 9863271. DOI: 10.3390/life13010011.

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