Ulipristal acetate prevents DNA fragmentation in human spermatozoa

Evidence has shown that spermatozoa are capable of generating reacted oxygen species (ROS) which are essential for normal sperm function; however, excessive ROS production can lead to DNA damage and may affect fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether ulipristal acetate (UPA), a sele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care 2012-06, Vol.17, p.S88
Main Authors: Munuce, MJ, Ciacré, J, Zumoffen, C, Caille, A, Ghersevich, S, Bahamondes, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Birth control
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Molecules
Plasma
Prescription drugs
Sperm
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Summary:Evidence has shown that spermatozoa are capable of generating reacted oxygen species (ROS) which are essential for normal sperm function; however, excessive ROS production can lead to DNA damage and may affect fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether ulipristal acetate (UPA), a selective progesterone receptor modulator used for emergency contraception (EC), present during sperm capacitation modifies the percentage of DNA fragmented spermatozoa. Motile spermatozoa from 16 donors were selected by swim-up and incubated at 10 x 106 spermatozoa/ml in Ham F10+5mg/ml BSA for 22 h at 37°C and 5% CO2 in the presence of UPA at 1, 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 ng/ml or control medium. Additional groups of spermatozoa were treated with 200 μM of H2O2 in the absence or presence of UPA 100 and 1000 ng/ml. Sperm viability (Eosin Y) was evaluated. Sperm chromatin dispersion test was done for DNA integrity evaluation; spermatozoa were incubated in agarose microgel with acid and lysing solution. A total of 400 spermatozoa were observed at 1,000 x magnification, and the percentages of sperm with normal DNA (large or medium halos) or with fragmented DNA (no halo or small/degraded halos) were evaluated. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. Significance was established at p
ISSN:1362-5187
1473-0782