Sperm aneuploidy rate and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes in five Chinese patients with multiple morphological abnormalities of sperm flagella

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the relationship between sperm aneuploidy rate and clinical outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) patients. Methods A total of 5 MMAF patients and 10 normal fertile individuals with normal parameters from Reproductive Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were collected from January 2017 to June 2018. Papanicolaou staining, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the morphological characteristics of sperm. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect the patients’ sperm aneuploidy rate. Finally, ICSI was performed to observe the clinical outcome. Results The results of the light microscope and scanning electron microscope showed morphologically abnormal spermatozoa in the ejaculated semen of patients, including absent, short, bent, coiled, and irregular flagella, and the central pair complex was absent in flagellum axoneme using transmission electron microscopy. There was no significant increase in patients’ sperm aneuploidy rate compared with normal control. Furthermore, in 7 ICSI cycles of 5 MMAF couples, all of them achieved clinical pregnancy, including 3 cases of live birth and 2 cases of spontaneous abortion. Conclusion There are serious morphological and ultrastructural abnormalities in the sperm flagella of MMAF patients. The low aneuploidy rates suggest that ICSI of MMAF patients will likely be of good prognosis for future pregnancies. Key words: Male infertility; Sperm aneuploidy rate; Multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella; Intracytoplasmic sperm injection