Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of sperm quality on embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection

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

Purpose : To explore the possible relationship between sperm quality and embryo development, pregnancy and implantation rates, in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Methods : Fertilization and cleavage rates, quality of embryos, blastocyst development, pregnancy and implantation rates were analyzed in 1020 embryos from 219 couples undergoing first ICSI treatment cycle. The couples were allocated in five groups, according to semen parameters: Group 1: patients with normal semen parameters, Group 2: patients with mild oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia, Group 3: patients with severe oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia, Group 4: patients with obstructive azoospermia, Group 5: patients with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Results : Fertilization and cleavage rates, quality of embryos as well as blastocyst development rates were significantly reduced, as semen quality decreased. However, no significant differences were observed in clinical pregnancy and implantation rates.

Conclusion : Overall, a negative relationship was observed between semen quality and embryo development, even before activation of the embryonic genome, suggesting that sperm can affect embryogenesis from a very early stage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Palermo G, Joris H, Devroy P, Van Steirteghem AC: Pregnancies after intracytoplasmic sperm injection of a single spermatozoon into an oocyte. Lancet 1992;340:17–18

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Van Steirteghem AC, Nagy Z., Joris H, Liu J, Staessen C, Smitz J, Wisanto A, Devroey P: High fertilization and implantation rates after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Hum Reprod 1993;8:1061–1066

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Janny L, Menezo YJR: Evidence for a strong paternal effect on human preimplantation embryo development and blastocyst formation. Mol Reprod Dev 1994;38:36–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ron-El R, Nachum H, Herman A, Golan A, Caspi E, Soffer Y: Delayed fertilization and poor embryonic development associated with impaired semen quality. Fertil Steril 1991;55:338–344

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Shoukir Y, Chardonnens D, Campana A, Sakkas D: Blastocyst development from supernumery embryos after intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a paternal influence? Hum Reprod 1998;13:1632–1637

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Göker ENT, Sendag F, Levi R, Sendag H, Tavmergen E: Comparison of ICSI outcome of ejaculated sperm with normal, abnormal parameters and testicular sperm. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2002;104:129–136

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Vernaeve V, Toyrnaye H, Osmanagaolu K, Verhryen G, Van Steirteghem A, Devroey P: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection with testicular spermatozoa is less successful in men with nonobstrucive azoospermia than in men with obstructive azoospermia. Fertil Steril 2003;79:529–533

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Nicopoulos JDM, Gilling-Smith C, Almeida PA, Ramsay JWA: The results of 154 ICSI cycles using surgically retrieved sperm from azoospermic men. Hum Reprod 2004;19:579–585

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Balaban B, Urman B, Isiklar A, Alatas C, Mercan R, Aksoy S, Nuhoglu A: Blastocyst transfer following intracytoplasmic sperm injection of ejaculated, epididymal or testicular spermatozoa. Hum Reprod 2000;116:125–129

    Google Scholar 

  10. Oehninger S, Chaturvedy S, Toner J, Morshedi M, Mayer J, Lanzendorf S, Muasher S: Semen quality: is there a paternal effect in pregnancy outcome in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection?. Hum Reprod 1998;13:2161–2164

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. World Health Organization: WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm–Cervical Mucus Interaction, 4th edn. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, 2000

    Google Scholar 

  12. Tarlatzis BC, Pados G, Bontis J, Lagos S, Gribizis G, Spanos E, Mantalenakis S: ovarian stimulation with buserilin / HMG / HCG: prospective randomized study of short versus long protocol. Hum Reprod 1993;8:807–812

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Braude P, Bolton V, Moore S: Human gene expression first occurs between the four- and eight-cell stage of preimplantation development. Nature 1988;332:459–461

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Tesarik J, Mendoza C, Greco E: Paternal effects acting during the first cell cycle of human preimplantation development after ICSI. Hum Reprod 2002;17:184–189

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Swann K, Larman MG, Saunders CM and Lai FA: The cytosolic sperm factor that triggers Ca++ oscillations and egg activation in mammals is a novel phospholipase C: PLCζ. Reproduction 2004;127:431–439

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sakkas D, Mariethoz E, Manicardi G, Bizzaro D, Bianchi PG, Bianchi U: Origin of DNA damage in ejaculated human spermatozoa. Rev Reprod 1999;4:31–37

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Evenson DP, Larson KL, Jost LK: Sperm chromatin structure assay: Its clinical use for detecting sperm DNA fragmentation in male infertility and comparisons with other techniques. J Androl 2002;23:25–43

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Tomlinson MJ, Moffatt O, Manicardi GC, 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;16:2160–2165

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sun JG, Jurisicova A, Casper RF: Detection of deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation in human sperm: correlation with fertilization in vitro. Biol Reprod 1997;56:602–607

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Lopes S, Sun JG, Juriskova A, Meriano J, Casper RF: Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation is increased in poor quality sperm samples and correlates with failed fertilization in intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Fertil Steril 1998;69:528–532

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Benchaib M, Braun V, Lornage J, Hadj S, Salle B, Lejeune H, Guerin JF: Sperm DNA fragmentation decreases the pregnancy rate in assisted reproductive technique. Hum Reprod 2003;18:1023–1028

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Seli E, Gardner DK, Schoolcraft WB, Moffatt O, Sakkas D: Extend of nuclear DNA damage in ejaculated spermatozoa impacts on blastocyst development after in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 2004;82:378–383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Virro MR, Larson-Cook KL, Evenson DP: Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameters are related to fertilization, blastocyst development, and ongoing pregnancy in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Fertil Steril 2004;81:1289–1295

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Evenson DP, Darzynkiewicz Z, Melamed MR: Relation of mammalian sperm chromatin heterogeneity to fertility. Science 1980;210:1131–1133

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Oger I, Da Cruz C, Panteix G, Menezo Y: Evaluating human sperm DNA integrity: relationship between 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine quantification and the sperm chromatin structure assay. Zygote 2003;11:367–371

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Bukulmez O, Yucel A, Yarali H, Bildirici I, Gurgan T: The origin of spermatozoa does not affect intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcome. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2001;94:250–255

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Ghazzawi IM, Sarraf MG, Taher MR, Khalifa FA: Comparison of the fertilizing capability of spermatozoa from ejaculates, epididymal aspirates and testicular biopsies using intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Hum Reprod 1998;13:348–352

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Greco E, Scarselli F, Iacobelli M, Rienzi L, Ubaldi F, Ferrero S, Franco G, Anniballo N, Mendoza C, Tesarik J: Efficient treatment of infertility due to sperm DNA damage by ICSI with testicular spermatozoa. Hum Reprod 2005;20:226–230

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, “Papageorgiou” General Hospital, Ring Road, Nea Efkarpia, Thessaloniki, 546 03, Greece

    Kalliopi E. Loutradi, Basil C. Tarlatzis, Dimitrios G. Goulis, Grigoris F. Grimbizis, Ioannis Papadimas & Ioannis Bontis

  2. Infertility and IVF Centre, Geniki Kliniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Basil C. Tarlatzis, Leonidas Zepiridis, Thoula Pagou, Elisabeth Chatziioannou, Grigoris F. Grimbizis & Ioannis Bontis

Authors
  1. Kalliopi E. Loutradi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Basil C. Tarlatzis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dimitrios G. Goulis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Leonidas Zepiridis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thoula Pagou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Elisabeth Chatziioannou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Grigoris F. Grimbizis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ioannis Papadimas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Ioannis Bontis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Basil C. Tarlatzis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Loutradi, K.E., Tarlatzis, B.C., Goulis, D.G. et al. The effects of sperm quality on embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. J Assist Reprod Genet 23, 69–74 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-006-9022-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-006-9022-8

KEY WORDS:

Search

Navigation