[Sperm apoptosis: myth or reality?]

Apoptosis has become a popular biologic concept, for many reasons. From embryonic development to adult tissues, apoptosis is necessary to maintain tissues homeostasis in most organ systems during organogenesis and in the adult. Human spermatogenetic epithelium is also concerned. Dysregulations of this process are involved in many pathologies (leukaemia, auto-immune diseases, etc...), and some forms of male infertility also. Apoptotic features have been found in human semen from infertile patients, and could become useful in order to appreciate semen quality, especially in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Despite numerous studies, some questions remain, especially about meaning of apoptotic damages of spermatozoa.