Journal of Andrology
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Published-Ahead-of-Print September 5, 2007, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.107.003574

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Higher Sperm DNA Damage in Semen from Men with Spinal Cord Injuries Compared to Controls

Nancy L. Brackett *, Emad Ibrahim , Jason A Grotas , Teodoro C Aballa , and Charles M Lynne

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nbrackett{at}miami.edu.

Semen from men with spinal cord injury (SCI) and control subjects was investigated for sperm DNA damage using the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA). Three experiments were performed. In Experiment 1, the DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) was compared in semen from SCI and control subjects. In Experiment 2, the % DFI was determined in repeated ejaculations to examine the effect of anejaculation on DFI. In Experiment 3, the DFI was determined in neat versus processed semen to examine the effect of necrospermia or leukocytospermia on DFI. The results of Experiment 1 showed a significantly higher mean (± SEM) DFI in semen of SCI subjects (65.2 ± 6.6%, range 42.3% - 90.8%) compared to control subjects (15.4 ± 2.9%, range 5.4% – 33.5%, p < 0.001). In Experiment 2, there was a high correlation between the DFIs obtained in semen Specimen 1 and the DFIs obtained 3 days later in semen Specimen 2 of the same SCI subjects (rs = 0.94, p < 0.02). In Experiment 3, the results showed no significant difference between mean DFI in aliquots of neat semen (79.3 ± 9.9%), versus matched aliquots of semen processed to remove dead sperm and leukocytes in SCI subjects (75.2 ± 16.1%). Conclusion: DFI is higher in semen from men with SCI versus controls. The cause of this condition is unknown, but does not seem to be due to prolonged anejaculation or to the proximate conditions of necrospermia or leukocytospermia. The relevance of these findings to fertility outcomes with SCI male partners remains to be determined. KEY WORDS: sperm, semen, infertility, DNA fragmentation, SCSA, SCI


Key words: Fertility • Semen Analysis • Sperm • Sperm retrieval • DNA fragmentation • SCI • SCSA




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