[Association of age with sperm DNA fragmentation].

BACKGROUND There is an association between aging ana an increased number of sperms with alterations in nuclear DNA. AIM To study the association between age and fragmentation of sperm DNA. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty two volunteers provided semen for analysis. These were separated in a group aged less than forty years and a second group aged more than forty years. Sperm DNA fragmentation was studied by TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick end-labeling) and SCD (sperm chromatin dispersion test) assays. RESULTS Compared with their younger counterparts, patients aged more than 40 years had a higher proportion of sperms with DNA fragmentation by TUNEL (20 ± 1.3 and 24 ± 1.9% respectively, p < 0.05) and SCD (22 ± 1.4 and 26 ± 1.6% respectively, p < 0.05). The results of both assays had a correlation coefficient of O.8. No differences between groups were observed for other seminal parameters. CONCLUSIONS Sperm DNA fragmentation increases with age in males.