Publications by authors named "Maria Emanuela Ragosta"

Article Synopsis
  • Sperm cryopreservation serves as an option for preserving male fertility, but the freezing and thawing processes can harm sperm viability, motility, and DNA integrity, with less focus on chromatin structure.
  • This study aimed to assess how cryopreservation affects sperm chromatin compaction and other sperm parameters in relation to storage time in liquid nitrogen.
  • Findings revealed that after 7 days of storage, there was a notable decrease in sperm motility and viability, and an increase in chromatin compaction and DNA fragmentation, indicating that while motility declines, chromatin structure changes can be significant.
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Several clinical laboratories assess sperm DNA fragmentation (sDF) in addition to semen analysis in male infertility diagnosis. Among tests evaluating sDF, TUNEL (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) and SCD (Sperm Chromatin Dispersion) are widely used. Our lab developed a modified version of TUNEL (TUNEL/PI) able to distinguish two sperm populations (PI Brighter and PI Dimmer) differently associated with sperm viability and reproductive outcomes.

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Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is considered one of the most dangerous air pollutants for adverse health effects, including reproductive toxicity. It is found both in male and female reproductive fluids likely affecting spermatozoa after the selection process through cervical mucus, a process mimicked in vitro with the swim-up procedure. In vitro effects of BaP (1, 5, 10 µM) were evaluated both in unselected and swim-up selected spermatozoa after 3 and 24 h of incubation.

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