High sperm chromatin stability in semen with high viscosity

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Andrology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Semen viscosity is a key parameter in male fertility assessment.
• Sperm chromatin stability is crucial for successful fertilization and embryonic development.
• The influence of high semen viscosity on sperm chromatin integrity remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of high semen viscosity on sperm chromatin stability.
• To compare sperm chromatin stability in normal versus high viscosity semen samples.
• To evaluate the role of zinc-chelating agents in modulating this effect.

Main Methods:

• Semen samples were collected from men with normal and high viscosity.
• Sperm chromatin stability was assessed using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment.
• Further assessment involved SDS combined with disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate (SDS+EDTA), a zinc-chelating agent.

Main Results:

• Sperm chromatin stability was not significantly different between normal and high viscosity samples after SDS treatment alone.
• However, after SDS+EDTA treatment, significantly higher sperm chromatin stability was observed in samples with high viscosity (25.6%) compared to normal viscosity (12.48%) (p < .02).
• The percentage of swollen sperm increased 5.40-fold in normal viscosity samples but only 2.2-fold in high viscosity samples when transitioning from SDS to SDS+EDTA treatment.

Conclusions:

• Hyperviscosity of semen is associated with enhanced sperm chromatin stability.
• This enhanced stability is particularly evident in the presence of zinc-chelating agents like EDTA.
• These findings suggest a potential protective mechanism of high semen viscosity against DNA damage under specific conditions.