title: Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid damage in normozoospermic men is related to age and sperm progressive motility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate sperm DNA fragmentation in normozoospermic male partners of couples undergoing infertility evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical andrology laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,974 consecutive normozoospermic men selected from a larger cohort of 4,345 consecutive, nonazoospermic men presenting for infertility evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical parameters, conventional semen parameters, and sperm DNA fragmentation assessed by flow cytometry-based TUNEL assay and reported as percent sperm DNA fragmentation (%SDF).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (± SD) %SDF and the proportion of men with high %SDF (>30%) were significantly lower in the normozoospermic compared with the entire cohort of 4,345 evaluable infertile men (17.6% ± 10.1% vs. 20.7% ± 12.4% and 11% vs. 20%, respectively). In the group of 1,974 normozoospermic men, %SDF was positively correlated with paternal age (r = 0.17) and inversely correlated with progressive motility (r = -0.26). In the subset of normozoospermic men with sperm parameters above the 50th percentile (≥ 73 × 10(6) sperm/mL, ≥ 55% progressive motility, and ≥ 14% normal forms, World Health Organization 2010 guidelines), 5% (4 of 83) had elevated %SDF (>30%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this large cohort of normozoospermic men presenting for infertility evaluation, DNA fragmentation level is related to sperm motility and paternal age, and 11% of these men have high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, the data indicate that a nonnegligible proportion (5%) of normozoospermic men with high-normal sperm parameters may also have significant sperm DNA fragmentation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Eylau-Unilabs, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belloc
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Eylau-Unilabs, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Moncef
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benkhalifa
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Eylau-Unilabs, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen-Bacrie
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Eylau-Unilabs, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dalleac
authors.affiliation: Cabinet d'Andrologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amar
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: ziniarmand@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Armand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zini
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005298:Fertility; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010331:Paternal Age; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Sperm DNA fragmentation; infertility; normozoospermia; paternal age; sperm motility