Assessment of DNA integrity and morphology of ejaculated spermatozoa from fertile and infertile men before and after cryopreservation
Abstract
Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa is extensively used in artificial insemination and IVF programmes. Despite various advances in cryopreservation methodology, the recovery rate of functional post-thaw spermatozoa remains mediocre, with sperm motility being significantly decreased after freezing. This aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cryopreservation on both DNA integrity and morphology of spermatozoa from fertile and infertile men. Semen samples were obtained from 17 fertile and 40 infertile men. All samples were prepared by discontinuous Percoll density centrifugation (95.0:47.5). Samples were divided into aliquots to allow direct comparison of fresh and frozen spermatozoa from the same ejaculate. Aliquots for cryopreservation were mixed with a commercial cryoprotectant and frozen by static phase vapour cooling before plunging into liquid nitrogen. Thawing was carried out slowly at room temperature. Sperm DNA integrity was determined using a modified alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay and sperm morphology analysed using the Tygerberg criteria. DNA of semen and prepared spermatozoa from fertile men was found to be unaffected by cryopreservation. In marked contrast, spermatozoa from infertile men were significantly damaged by freeze-thawing. Cryopreservation had a detrimental effect on morphology of semen and prepared samples from fertile and infertile men.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Other studies reported no correlation, or a very weak correlation, between abnormal sperm morphology and SDF.
“However, other studies reported no correlation, or a very weak correlation, between abnormal sperm morphology and SDF (78-80).”
From Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review (2024) · cites this paper as [78]
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Isolated teratozoospermia: revisiting its relevance in male infertility: a narrative review
Atmoko, W., Savira, M., Shah, R., Chung, E., & Agarwal, A. (2024) · Translational Andrology and Urology · doi:10.21037/tau-23-397 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Other areas for future research include studies on SDF in patients with isolated teratozoospermia, and studies on the clinical efficacy and risk-benefit analysis of ART in the context of isolated teratozoospermia.”
Influential
- Authors
- Donnelly, E. T.
- Affiliations
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Donnelly, E. T.
- Venue
- Human Reproduction
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2001-06-01
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1191-1199
- ISSN
- 0268-1161 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2350
- OpenAlex
- W2135622711
- Cited by
- 263
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 8.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Human Reproduction (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Biology and Fertility
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Physiology › Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Keywords
- sperm cryopreservation, sperm DNA integrity, sperm morphology, male infertility, frost damage, sperm motility, alkaline comet assay, cryoprotectants, post-thaw sperm quality
- MeSH terms
- DNA, DNA Damage, Ejaculation, Electrophoresis, Agar Gel, Hot Temperature, Humans, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Infertility, Male, Male, Semen, Sperm Motility, Spermatozoa, Cryopreservation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
