P–043 Six years’ retrospective statistical study (2013 – 2018) investigating the impact of Sperm DNA fragmentation on sperm analysis parameters
Authors: Bahri H , Zidi W , Benkhalifa M 
Published: August 2021

Study question

What is the relationship between Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) levels and sperm analysis (Spermocytogramme) parameters results?

Summary answer

SDF level of patients with pathological spermocytogramme presents negative correlations to total spermatozoa mobility, vitality and concentration, and positive correlation to sperm morphology defects.

What is known already

The relationship between SDF and Sperm analysis parameters and especially sperm morphology needs to be more studied since few studies over the last years were focused on this relationship. However, abnormalities in these two parameters are considered as the most important biological indicators of male infertility. The pathogenesis of Teratozoospermia (&lt;4% morphologically normal sperm cells according to WHO 2010) is continuously increasing over the last decade according to several studies. In addition, SDF is also increasing over the years because of several factors such as pollution, stress and lifestyle changing.

Study design, size, duration

Retrospective study including 331 infertile patients undergoing SDF-index testing with Spermocytogramme from January 2013 – December 2018. Patients divided into two groups: 143 patients with normal-Spermocytogramme and 188 patients with pathological-Spermocytogramme. Each group includes patients with abnormal SDF levels (&gt;30%). Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS22.0 for Windows-software. Kolmogorov–Smirnov-test for normality analysis and comparisons by Student-t-test or Mann–Whitney U-test, as appropriate. Pearson/Spearman’ tests for correlations were used as appropriate, P-value&lt;0.05 was considered as significant.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

143 patients with normal Spermocytogramme (2.8% abnormal-SDF) vs 188 patients with pathological Spermocytogramme (10.6% abnormal-SDF). WHO–2010 instructions for sperm-analysis were used through Makler®-counting-chamber (Sefi-Medical Instrument Ltd) for sperm-concentration and motility-determination using Sperm-class-analyzer-software (CASA-system (Microptic®)) to detect sperm abnormalities. Normozoospermia was determined when sperm progressive-motility is ≥ 32%, sperm-concentration ≥15x106/mL, and sperm-morphology ≥4%. “Diff-Quick” staining-method for the coloration of the fixed-sperm-slides was used for Sperm-morphology analysis. GoldCyto Sperm®Kit (Goldcyto Biotech corp.) was used to analyze SDF.

Main results and the role of chance

SDF is significantly higher in pathological spermocytogramme’ patients than in normal spermocytogramme’ patients (17.02 ± 11.88 vs 12.16 ± 9.58 respectively). In patients with pathological spermocytogramme, SDF is negatively correlated to Progressive sperm motility (r= –0.137; p = 0.042), Total sperm motility (r= –0.153; p = 0.036), vitality (r=–0.140; p = 0.048) and concentration (r=–0.195; p = 0.007). In the other hand, SDF presented positive correlation with teratozoospermia and especially with sperm midpiece defects (r = 0.171; p = 0.02). However, SDF did not present any correlation with age, testosterone levels and total ejaculated sperm volume. However the latter was positively correlated to spermatozoa midpiece and head defects (r = 0.156; p = 0.034; r = 0.203; p = 0.006, respectively). These results are in accordance with García-Ferreyra et al. (2014) who found that men with abnormal spermatozoa morphology showed high levels of DNA fragmentation, Sá et al. (2015) who confirmed that semen with lower concentration, motility and morphology have higher levels of SDF and showed that sperm head staining patterns are correlated with the degree of SDF. In addition, recently the study of Jakubik-Uljaszstudy et al. (2020) could confirms our results when it concluded that detailed sperm structural defects coexist with abnormal nuclear sperm DNA dispersion and that men with teratozoospermia may have a higher risk for sperm DNA damage.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Our study is a retrospective statistical investigation that included patients attending to the laboratory for fertility diagnosis after a period of infertility. Meta-analyzes studies in addition to more prospective-randomized-controlled-trials with couples undergoing assisted-reproductive-treatments and in comparison with fertile men are needed to confirm the relationship between SDF and spermocytogramme defects.

Wider implications of the findings: These results should interest andrologists, reproductive science fundamentalists and embryologists who want to improve the investigations on the origin of infertility especially when it comes from male side.

Trial registration number

Not applicable