title: [Preliminary investigation of relationship between sperm apoptosis and male infertility].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between sperm apoptosis and male infertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percentage of apoptotic sperm (PAS) in spermatozoa of fertile and infertile men were tested by flow cytometry (FCM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sperm apoptosis had happened in all different people. PAS in fertile and infertile group was (4.28 +/- 1.66)% and (18.67 +/- 8.55)% respectively, and difference was significant between two groups (P < 0.01). There was negative correlation between PAS and semen volume, sperm density, percentage of forward motility, percentage of normal morphology (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was very close relationship between sperm apoptosis and male infertility. FCM used to test sperm apoptosis is rapid, accurate, objective and reliable to analyse sperm functions and male fertility.
authors.affiliation: Family Planning Research Institute of Yunnan, Kunming, Yunan 650021, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zeng-Di
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zheng-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Ming-Jun
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*