Sperm mediated gene transfer (SMGT) could provide the opportunity to carry out transgenesis on a mass scale using spermatozoa as vectors for exogenous DNA. However, the efficiency of sperm-mediated DNA transfer is still questionable, and the mode of transmission to the egg has not yet been well understood. Our aim was to investigate the capacity of bovine spermatozoa to carry exogenous DNA and ...

Despite of many benefits of nanoparticles induced, their increasing usage raises concern about the consequences and health threats that it might bring to humans. So, the current study evaluated the testicular defects after i.p. injection of silver naoparticles (AgNPs). Male mice, weighing 31-34 g, and of 3 months old were randomly assigned into three groups with respect to concentration of nano...

Sperm DNA damage adversely affects male fertility and contributes to poorer embryo development and lower pregnancy rates. Endogenous hormones are critical to spermatogenesis and maintenance of male reproductive function and likely play an important role in human sperm DNA integrity, but this relationship is not fully understood. The present study measured serum hormone levels and sperm DNA dama...

BACKGROUND DNA adducts are widely used marker of DNA damage induced by environmental pollutants. The present study was designed to explore whether sperm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts were associated with sperm DNA integrity and semen quality. METHODS A total of 433 Han Chinese men were recruited from an infertility clinic. Immunofluorescence was applied to analyze sperm PAH-DNA ...

BACKGROUND Sperm vitrification is a technique of ice and cryoprotectant free cryopreservation by direct plunging of sperm suspension into liquid nitrogen (LN2). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of cryoprotectant free-vitrification on human sperm fine structure by MSOME technology and the fertility potential by zona binding assay (ZBA). METHODS 20 normo-ejaculates were pr...

BACKGROUND The effect of paternal age on semen quality is controversial. In this retrospective study, the aim was to investigate the effects of advancing age on sperm parameters including reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and sperm DNA damage in infertile men. We also examined whether paternal age >40 y is associated with higher risk of sperm DNA damage. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND While (partial) recovery of spermatogenesis, observed by means of standard semen analysis, has been seen in testicular cancer patients after chemotherapy with cisplatin, sperm genomic integrity and its implication for the patient's fertility are poorly understood. METHODS Semen and serum from 22 patients treated for testicular cancer were analysed pre- and post-chemotherapy. Beside...

Exposure to genotoxins may compromise DNA integrity in male reproductive cells, putting future progeny at risk for developmental defects and diseases. To study the usefulness of sperm DNA damage as a biomarker for genotoxic exposure, we have investigated cellular and molecular changes induced by benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in human sperm in vitro, and results have been compared for smokers and non-s...

Sperm DNA fragmentation is being increasingly recognized as an important cause of infertility. We herein describe the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) test, a novel assay for sperm DNA fragmentation in semen. The SCD test is based on the principle that sperm with fragmented DNA fail to produce the characteristic halo of dispersed DNA loops that is observed in sperm with non-fragmented DNA, foll...

Objective(s): Melatonin, an important hormone secreted by the epiphysis, is a powerful anti-oxidant with a high potential to neutralize medical toxins. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the beneficial effect of melatonin on epididymal sperm and reproductive parameters in mice treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Materials and Methods: Male adult mice were divided into four treatment...