Caliskan Zeynep, Kucukgergin Canan, Aktan Gulsan, Kadioglu Ates, Ozdemirler Gul
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul Yeni Yuzyil University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Andrologia. 2022 Dec;54(11):e14587. doi: 10.1111/and.14587. Epub 2022 Sep 15.
Sperm DNA integrity could be considered a biological marker of sperm quality and may affect fertilization, embryonic development, and pregnancy outcome. The study aimed to investigate the connection between semen characteristics and sperm DNA damage in infertile patients. Standard semen analysis of 536 samples was carried out following the World Health Organization (WHO) 5th edition recommendations. Sperm DNA damage was assessed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, after preparation by direct swim-up. The slides were evaluated using a fluorescence microscope and the percentage of TUNEL-positive spermatozoa was expressed as the DNA fragmentation index (DFI). Patients were classified according to their DFI levels: group A (DFI < 15%) and group B (DFI ≥15%). Sperm total count, concentration, total and progressive motility, vitality, and normal morphology were significantly higher in group A compared to group B (p < 0.001). The results show a significant inverse correlation between DFI and patient's age, sperm total count, concentration, total and progressive motility, vitality and normal morphology. Higher DFI values were found to be strongly associated with poor sperm quality. In conclusion, combined with conventional semen analysis, assessment of sperm DFI could improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment management for patients with male infertility.
精子DNA完整性可被视为精子质量的生物学标志物，可能影响受精、胚胎发育及妊娠结局。本研究旨在调查不育患者精液特征与精子DNA损伤之间的联系。按照世界卫生组织（WHO）第5版建议对536份样本进行了标准精液分析。通过直接上浮法制备样本后，采用末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的dUTP缺口末端标记法（TUNEL）评估精子DNA损伤。使用荧光显微镜对玻片进行评估，TUNEL阳性精子的百分比表示为DNA碎片化指数（DFI）。根据DFI水平对患者进行分类：A组（DFI＜15%）和B组（DFI≥15%）。与B组相比，A组的精子总数、浓度、总活力和前向运动活力、存活率及正常形态均显著更高（p＜0.001）。结果显示DFI与患者年龄、精子总数、浓度、总活力和前向运动活力、存活率及正常形态之间存在显著负相关。发现较高的DFI值与精子质量差密切相关。总之，结合传统精液分析，评估精子DFI可提高男性不育患者的诊断准确性和治疗管理水平。
