Sperm Chromatin Condensation Defect Accelerates the Kinetics of Early Embryonic Development but Does Not Modify ICSI Outcome.

The origin and quality of gametes are likely to influence the kinetics of embryonic development. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of sperm nuclear quality, and in particular sperm chromatin condensation, on the kinetics of early embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Our study included 157 couples who benefitted from ICSI for male factor infertility.

Oxidative Stress Is Associated with Telomere Interaction Impairment and Chromatin Condensation Defects in Spermatozoa of Infertile Males.

Telomere length can be influenced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by lifestyle factors or environmental exposure. We sought to determine whether oxidative stress has an impact on sperm nuclear alterations, especially on chromatin organization and telomere interactions in the spermatozoa of infertile males. We performed an observational and prospective study including fifty-two males, allocated in the "case group" (30 infertile males presenting conventional semen parameter alterations) and the "control group" (22 males with normal conventional semen parameters).

Correction to: Gel electrophoresis of human sperm: a simple method for evaluating sperm protein quality.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s12610-018-0076-0.].

Cannabis consumption might exert deleterious effects on sperm nuclear quality in infertile men.

Research Question: Can cannabis consumption alter sperm nuclear integrity in infertile men?

Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study conducted between July 2003 and December 2013, which included 54 men who consulted for male-factor infertility. Twenty-seven infertile men who were regular cannabis users were matched to 27 infertile men who were cannabis non-users. To complement the conventional semen parameter and plasma hormone level assessments, sperm nuclear alterations were explored using fluorescence in-situ hybridization to assess numerical chromosomal abnormalities, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling to investigate DNA fragmentation, aniline blue staining to examine chromatin condensation and a motile sperm organelle morphology examination to detect vacuoles in sperm heads.

Sperm chromatin condensation defects, but neither DNA fragmentation nor aneuploidy, are an independent predictor of clinical pregnancy after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Purpose: The impact of sperm DNA damage on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes remains controversial. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of several types of sperm nuclear damage on ICSI clinical pregnancy.

Methods: Our retrospective study included a total of 132 couples who consulted for male or mixed-factor infertility that benefited from ICSI cycles from January 2006 to December 2015.