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Sperm nuclear chromatin normality: relationship with sperm morphology, sperm-zona pellucida binding, and
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Objective:
To study whether the results of tests of sperm chromatin and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) normality are related to fertilization rates in vitro.
Design:
Normal morphology, nuclear maturity determined by acidic aniline blue stain, and DNA normality determined by acridine orange fluorescence of sperm in insemination medium and the number of sperm bound to the zona pellucida (ZP) of the oocytes that had failed to fertilize in vitro were determined. The relationship between sperm test results and fertilization rates were analyzed by logistic regression.
Setting:
Samples were obtained from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
Results:
The number of sperm bound to the ZP, the percentage of sperm with normal morphology, and the percentage of sperm with normal DNA were the most significant factors related to fertilization rates in vitro. In patients with normal morphology > or = 15% or with > 10 sperm bound per ZP, the percentage of sperm with normal DNA, the number of sperm bound to the ZP, and motility grade were significantly related to IVF rates.
Conclusion:
In patients with normal morphology > or = 15%, failure of fertilization may be because of defects of sperm-ZP binding or abnormal DNA. Assessment of DNA normality of motile sperm in the insemination medium may aid prediction of fertilization rates in addition to normal morphology and sperm-ZP binding.