Longitudinal study of sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by terminal uridine nick end-labelling assay

BACKGROUND: One major limitation in the use of sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by the TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase)-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay is the paucity of solid data on the stability of this parameter. METHODS: The objective of our study was to evaluate va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction (Oxford) 2005-07, Vol.20 (7), p.1921-1927
Main Authors: Sergerie, M., Laforest, G., Boulanger, K., Bissonnette, F., Bleau, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
DNA Fragmentation
Fertility - physiology
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
In Situ Nick-End Labeling
Infertility, Male - metabolism
Infertility, Male - pathology
Longitudinal Studies
longitudinal study
Male
male infertility
Medical sciences
sperm
Sperm Count
Spermatozoa - metabolism
TUNEL
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Summary:BACKGROUND: One major limitation in the use of sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by the TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase)-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay is the paucity of solid data on the stability of this parameter. METHODS: The objective of our study was to evaluate variations in the degree of sperm DNA fragmentation, as measured by the TUNEL assay, over a 6 month period. Five donors provided semen samples (total 107) on the average three times per month, and 10 infertility patients provided semen samples every 4 weeks (total 58). RESULTS: The mean percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation for donors was 13.18%, the within-donor standard deviation (SDW=3.79%) was small compared to between-donor (SDB=17.56%). For the group of patients, the mean percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation was 22.44%, with SDW of 4.43% within patients and SDB of 29.48% between patients. No seasonal rhythm was observed during the study. The intra-class correlation coefficient for all subjects combined was 0.83. Compared to sperm concentration, individual coefficients of variation for sperm DNA fragmentation indicated less variability in four subjects, but were similar in the others. CONCLUSION: This longitudinal study shows that sperm DNA fragmentation is a parameter with good stability (repeatability) over time; it can be taken as a baseline both in healthy fertile men and in patients from infertility couples.
ISSN:0268-1161
1460-2350
DOI:10.1093/humrep/deh885