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Which isolated sperm abnormality is most related to sperm DNA damage in men presenting for infertility evaluation

  • Gamete Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Eylau-Unilabs, 55 rue Saint Didier, 75116, Paris, France

    Stephanie Belloc, Moncef Benkhalifa, Martine Cohen-Bacrie, Alain Dalleac & Hikmat Chahine

  2. Cabinet d’Andrologie, 17 avenue Victor Hugo, 75116, Paris, France

    Edouard Amar

  3. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Armand Zini

  4. St. Mary’s Hospital, 3830 Lacombe Ave., Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1M5, Canada

    Armand Zini

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  1. Stephanie Belloc
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  2. Moncef Benkhalifa
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  3. Martine Cohen-Bacrie
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  6. Edouard Amar
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  7. Armand Zini
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Correspondence to Armand Zini.

Additional information

Capsule In a large retrospective study, we have found that men with isolated asthenozoospermia have significantly higher sperm DNA damage than men with isolated oligozoospermia or isolated teratozoospermia. The data indicate that sperm DNA damage is most closely related to sperm motility defects.

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Belloc, S., Benkhalifa, M., Cohen-Bacrie, M. et al. Which isolated sperm abnormality is most related to sperm DNA damage in men presenting for infertility evaluation. J Assist Reprod Genet 31, 527–532 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0194-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0194-3

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