Publication
Title
Sperm nuclear maturity and chromatin stability in subfertile patients: Density gradient centrifugation is fair but non-discriminative in selecting the right population
Author
Abstract
Multiple technologies exploring chromatin structure anomalies have been applied during the last decade to evaluate fertility disorders and to increase the predictive value of sperm analysis for procreation in vivo and in vitro. Our aim was to implement sperm nuclear maturity and nuclear chromatin stability as a functional test for male infertility diagnosis and to compare it with a fertile group. As semen processing is an integral part of assisted reproductive technologies the impact of density gradient centrifugation in selecting sperm based on nuclear maturity and stability was also analyzed. Flow cytometry combined with fluorescent dyes exhibiting affinity for DNA was implemented. Both nuclear parameters correlated significantly with semen parameters. The control fertile group had significantly higher mean condensed population and a significantly lower hypocondensed and hypercondensed fractions as compared to the subfertile study group. Density gradient centrifugation succeeded in selecting the condensed population in both the control and study groups, while reducing the hypocondensed percentage. The hypercondensed population which was ten-fold higher in the study group remained unchanged after selection, in both the control and the study groups. Sperm nuclear maturity and chromatin stability appears to be homogenous in the fertile sperm donors and heterogeneous in subfertile patients. Sperm preparation for assisted reproduction should aim to minimize the risk of abnormal spermatozoa being used for fertilization.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Reproductive Biology
Publication
2019
ISSN
1642-431X
DOI
10.1016/J.REPBIO.2019.11.003
Volume/pages
19 :4 (2019) , p. 316-321
ISI
000554609700002
Pubmed ID
31744770
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 14.09.2020
Last edited 23.08.2024
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