Abstract
Objective: To correlate sperm variables with sperm DNA fragmentation, as assessed by using a modified alkaline comet assay for sperm smears. Design: The comet assay was adapted for fixed sperm smears (59 cases), and the level of DNA fragmentation was determined. Setting: Clinical and academic research environment. Patient(s): 59 patients undergoing fertility treatment. Intervention(s): Sperm samples leftover from IVF procedures were fixed and processed for the comet assay. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sperm head DNA density and sperm variables. Result(s): A correlation was observed between increased sperm head DNA fragmentation and decreased penetration of zona-free hamster oocytes. Heat-induced hyperactive motility decreased as DNA fragmentation increased. The DNA fragmentation did not correlate with percentages of intact acrosome, normality, maturity, and strict normal morphology. Conclusion(s): The advantages of the comet assay for archived cells include simplicity, low intraassay coefficient of variation, and low performance cost; in addition, DNA analysis can be carried out at leisure. Low DNA damage was associated with higher hyperactivation and oocyte penetration, suggesting that failed fertilization was linked to compromised DNA integrity in the sperm. Exploration of compounds to repair damaged DNA is warranted.
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