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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Sperm Collection of Differential Quality Using Density Gradient Centrifugation
Published on: November 29, 2018
Relationship between sperm telomere length and sperm quality in infertile men
Zahra Darmishonnejad1, Farzaneh Zarei-Kheirabadi1,2, Marziyeh Tavalaee1
1Department of Reproductive Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract:
Telomeres, noncoding and repetitive DNA sequences play a significant function in chromatin integrity. Telomere length is age-dependent in somatic cells, while it increases in sperm cell with age. Therefore, we aimed to assess sperm chromatin, leucocyte and sperm telomere length (LTL, STL) in spermatozoon of 38 infertile and 19 fertile men aged between 20 and 50 years. Protamine deficiency (chromomycin A3 test), DNA fragmentation (TUNEL assay), lipid peroxidation (Bodipy probe) and telomere length (quantitative real-time PCR) were assessed. A significant decrease in mean of sperm concentration and motility and a significant increase in means of sperm abnormal morphology, DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation and protamine deficiency were observed in infertile compared with fertile men. In addition, the mean of LTL and STL were significantly shorter in infertile men compared with fertile individuals. We observed significant associations between telomere length with sperm concentration, DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation. We hypothesised that increased oxidative stress in spermatozoa of infertile men can result in abnormal packaging of chromatin, damage of DNA and shorter sperm telomere length. Together, these anomalies may account for fertility failure in these individuals.
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