Semen analysis

About: Semen analysis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4909 publications have been published within this topic receiving 143225 citations.

Effects of Varicocelectomy on Sperm DNA Fragmentation, Mitochondrial Function, Chromatin Condensation, and Apoptosis

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate conventional semen parameters (density, morphology, and progressive motility) and the flow-cytometric parameters of DNA fragmentation, mito- chondrial membrane potential, phosphatidylserine externalization, and chromatin compactness in patients with varicocele before and after varicocelectomy. Thirty men (26.5 6 3.2 years old, range 20- 32 years) with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and grade 3 left varicocele were selected (without other causes of male infertility). Each of them underwent sperm analysis and flow cytometric evaluation before and 4 months after subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy (SMV). After varicocelectomy, men had significantly higher sperm density, progressive motility, and normal forms compared with baseline. They also had a significantly lower percentage of spermatozoa with low mitochondrial membrane potential. After SMV, they showed a significantly lower percentage of spermatozoa with phosphatidylserine externalization, an early sign of apoptosis. Significantly decreased percentages of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin compactness and spermatozoa with DNA fragmentation were found after SMV compared with baseline. Subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy improves sperm function in oligoasthenoteratozoospermia secondary to grade 3 left varico- cele. Improvements are seen in conventional parameters and biofunctional parameters not routinely evaluated.

Diagnostic accuracy of sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) as a potential noninvasive biomarker to identify men with varicocele-associated infertility

Abstract: Varicocele is a frequent cause of impaired testicular function that has been associated with increased levels of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF). Sperm with degraded DNA (DDS), as observed using the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, represent a subpopulation of spermatozoa with extensive DNA and nuclear protein damage. The aim of this work was to determine the usefulness of sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) as a novel noninvasive biomarker to identify infertile men with varicocele. A total of 593 semen samples obtained from men attending infertility clinics were analyzed for SDF and DDS with the SCD test. These samples were classified as: (1) fertile donors; (2) infertile patients with least two failed assisted reproduction cycles; (3) leukocytospermia; (4) Chlamydia trachomatis infection; (5) testicular cancer, and (6) infertile men with varicocele. The DDSi was obtained by determining the proportion of DDS in the whole sperm population presenting with fragmented DNA. The diagnostic accuracy of DDSi was evaluated by correlation coefficient and receiver operating characteristics analyses. A positive correlation (r ≥ 0.52) was observed between the SDF and the frequency of degraded sperm in all patient groups. The sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) was at least twice as higher in infertile men with varicocele (mean: 0.54) compared with other clinical conditions and fertile donors (means ranging from 0.02 to 0.21; P < 0.0001). A DDSi ≥ 0.33 identified patients with varicocele with 94 % accuracy. Although DDS is not pathognomonic of varicocele, the DDSi is a useful noninvasive biomaker to identify infertile individuals with varicocele when examining sperm DNA damage during a routine semen analysis. This finding may alert practitioners and laboratories performing semen analysis that in the presence of an abnormal DDSi it is likely that a given patient has varicocele. It is therefore strongly recommended that such patients be referred to urologists in order to undergo a full andrological examination and be properly counseled.

Relationship between human sperm-hyaluronan binding assay and fertilization rate in conventional in vitro fertilization

Abstract: Background Sperm-hyaluronan-binding assay (HBA) is one of the commercial kits being marketed for routine testing of sperm maturity and fertility. However, there is no report of whether the HBA can provide additional information over standard semen analysis for sperm-fertilizing ability. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between HBA and fertilization rate in conventional IVF. Methods A total of 175 IVF patients with > or = 3 mature oocytes inseminated were included in the study. Both the standard semen analysis and the HBA were performed on the same ejaculated sperm samples used for IVF treatments. Relationships between the semen analysis and the HBA results and fertilization rate were analysed by both the Spearman test and the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Both total and progressive sperm motility and normal morphology were highly correlated with HBA scores. While both normal sperm morphology and HBA scores were statistically significantly related to fertilization rates, the HBA was less significant than normal sperm morphology. The HBA does not provide additional information for identifying patients with a poor fertilization rate. Conclusion HBA is highly significantly correlated with sperm motility and morphology but is less significant than sperm morphology in relation to the fertilization rate in IVF. Thus, the clinical predictive value of HBA for sperm-fertilizing ability in vitro is limited.