DNA damage to spermatozoa has impacts on fertilization and pregnancy

DNA damage in the male germ line has been associated with poor semen quality, low fertilization rates, impaired preimplantation development, increased abortion and an elevated incidence of disease in the offspring, including childhood cancer. The causes of this DNA damage are still uncertain but the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell and tissue research 2005-10, Vol.322 (1), p.33-41
Main Authors: Lewis, S E M, Aitken, R J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blastocyst
Chromatin - chemistry
DNA Damage
DNA Fragmentation
DNA Repair
Female
Fertilization - physiology
Humans
Male
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Oxidative Stress
Pregnancy
Semen - chemistry
Spermatozoa - cytology
Spermatozoa - pathology
Spermatozoa - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:DNA damage in the male germ line has been associated with poor semen quality, low fertilization rates, impaired preimplantation development, increased abortion and an elevated incidence of disease in the offspring, including childhood cancer. The causes of this DNA damage are still uncertain but the major candidates are oxidative stress and aberrant apoptosis. The weight of evidence currently favours the former and, in keeping with this conclusion, positive results have been reported for antioxidant therapy both in vivo and in vitro. Resolving the causes of DNA damage in the male germ line will be essential if we are to prevent the generation of genetically damaged human embryos, particularly in the context of assisted conception therapy.
ISSN:0302-766X
1432-0878
DOI:10.1007/s00441-005-1097-5