title: Impact of freezing/thawing technique on sperm DNA integrity in HIV-1 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According french legislation, sperm freezing/thawing procedures are used to prevent ART contaminations in couple with HIV-1 infected men. We determined sperm nuclear fragmentation rate before and after selection and freezing/thawing in HIV-1 14 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of patients were studied: 20 control patients with normal sperm (group 1) and without viral infection and 20 fertile treated HIV-1 patients (group 2). DNA fragmentation was evaluated using terminal uridine nick end labeling, before and after gradient selection, and after cryopreservation and thawing procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNA fragmentation rates in fresh semen were increased in HIV patients (6.38% vs 3.39%) (p < 0.05) compared with control patients. After sperm migration, fragmentation rates were significantly lower (p < 0.0001) in the two groups compared with fresh sperm rates. After freezing/thawing, values were similar to those of fresh semen with an increased rate (p < 0.01) for HIV-1 patients, with respectively 3.40% and 5.18% rates in control and infected patients. HIV-1-infected patients treated by antiretroviral therapy showed a significant increase in sperm DNA fragmentation in fresh sperm and also after freezing/thawing procedures, but these two fragmentation rates were not significantly different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  So, freezing/thawing procedures do not seem to impair sperm DNA and preserve probability of conception for couples with HIV-1 infected men.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Bichat/Claude Bernard, Paris, France. christophefrainais@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frainais
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vialard
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rougier
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aegerther
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Damond
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ayel
authors.forename: Chadi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yazbeck
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hazout
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005298:Fertility; D005615:Freezing; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004247:DNA