Sperm nuclear DNA in ejaculates of fertile and infertile men: correlation with semen parameters.
BACKGROUND
Our aim was to compare the nuclear DNA integrity of the spermatozoa from infertile men with abnormal semen parameters with that from normospermic fertile men, and to evaluate the relationship between the sperm DNA integrity and semen parameters.


METHODS
Thirty ejaculate samples with abnormal semen analysis and 30 ejaculates with normal semen parameters were randomly collected from infertile and fertile men, respectively. The acridine orange test was used to assess the integrity of sperm DNA.


RESULTS
The number of ejaculates with a DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) above 30% were 16 (53.3%) and 22 (73.3%) in fertile and infertile subjects, respectively (P = .10). The mean DFI was 37.7 +/- 19.6% and 46.1 +/- 16.7% in the fertile and infertile subjects, respectively (P = .24). The DFI of the fertile men with normal sperm morphology (12 patients) ranged from 1% to 80%. In the samples with oligoasthenospermia, mean DFI was 52.7 +/- 17.9%. There were 2 samples with severe teratospermia (normal morphology less than 4%) and DFIs of 70% and 87%. There were no significant correlations between the DNA integrity and the 3 parameters of semen quality in our 60 subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results failed to show any significant difference in the DNA integrity of the spermatozoa between infertile and fertile men. Also, no correlation was noticed between the DNA abnormality and the semen parameters in the studied samples.
Khalili
Mohammad Ali
MA
Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. khalili59@hotmail.com
Aghaie-Maybodi
Fatima
F
Anvari
Morteza
M
Talebi
Ali Reza
AR