OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of DNA damage induced by beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) in human spermatozoa. DESIGN Prospective controlled study. SETTING Male infertility clinic at the Glickman Urological Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. PATIENT(S) Twenty-eight men undergoing infertility screening. INTERVENTION(S) Chemiluminescence as...

BACKGROUND Data available over the past twenty years reveal that in approximately 30% of cases of infertility, pathology is found in man alone, and in another 20% both man and woman are abnormal. Therefore, the male factor is at least partly responsible in about 50% of infertile couples. The longer a couple remains sub fertile, the worse is their chance for an effective cure. This study was pla...

OBJECTIVE To determine if strict morphology correlates with outcome parameters in couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Academic nonprofit IVF center. PATIENT(S) Couples undergoing IVF/ICSI. INTERVENTION(S) In vitro fertilization and ICSI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Samples were evaluated for total sperm count, motlity, progressi...

BACKGROUND Alterations in RNAs present in sperm have been identified using microarrays in teratozoospermic patients and in other types of infertile patients. However, so far, there have been no reports on using microarrays to determine the RNA content of sperm from asthenozoospermic patients. METHODS We started the present project with the goal of characterizing the RNA abundance in the sperm...

BACKGROUND Spermatozoa with large vacuoles (SLV) may have a negative impact on embryo development. The origin of these vacuoles is unknown. We evaluated acrosome and nucleus alterations in isolated SLV, versus unselected spermatozoa. METHODS We studied 20 patients with teratozoospermia. Spermatozoa from the native semen sample and spermatozoa presenting a vacuole occupying >13.0% total head a...

Nearly 7% of men are afflicted by male infertility worldwide, and genetic factors are suspected to play a significant role in the majority of these patients. Although sperm morphology is an important parameter measured in the semen analysis, only a few genetic causes of teratozoospermia are currently known. The objective of this study was to define the association between alterations in the gen...

Background: A great number of substances have been found in sperm plasma but so far it has not been possible to provide evidence of clinical significance for all of them. Fructose occupies the most important place in biochemical investigations. Fructose acts as a donor of energy to the spermatozoa. Fructose is secreted from the seminal vesicles and the accessory sex glands. It is the major carb...

Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) beyond the scavenging capacity of antioxidants leads to DNA damage and oxidation of lipoprotein components at the cellular and subcellular level. The oxidative stress (OS) adversely affects sperm function by altering membrane fluidity, permeability and impairs sperm functional competence. In the present study, the OS status in seminal plasma and blood serum ...