Data di Pubblicazione:
2014
Citazione:
DNA fragmentation and sperm head morphometry in cat epididymal spermatozoa / V. Vernocchi, M. Morselli, A. Lange Consiglio, M. Faustini, G.C. Luvoni. - In: THERIOGENOLOGY. - ISSN 0093-691X. - 82:7(2014 Jul 18), pp. 982-987. [10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.07.014]
Abstract:
Sperm DNA fragmentation is an important parameter to assess sperm quality and can be a
putative fertility predictor. Because the sperm head consists almost entirely of DNA, subtle
differences in sperm head morphometry might be related to DNA status. Several techniques are available to analyze sperm DNA fragmentation, but they are labor-intensive and
require expensive instrumentations. Recently, a kit (Sperm-Halomax) based on the sperm
chromatin dispersion test and developed for spermatozoa of different species, but not for
cat spermatozoa, became commercially available. The first aim of the present study was to
verify the suitability of Sperm-Halomax assay, specifically developed for canine semen, for
the evaluation of DNA fragmentation of epididymal cat spermatozoa. For this purpose,
DNA fragmentation indexes (DFIs) obtained with Sperm-Halomax and terminal deoxy-nucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick-end labeling (TUNEL) were compared. The second
aim was to investigate whether a correlation between DNA status, sperm head
morphology, and morphometry assessed by computer-assisted semen analysis exists in cat
epididymal spermatozoa. No differences were observed in DFIs obtained with Sperm-Halomax and TUNEL. This result indicates that Sperm-Halomax assay provides a reliable
evaluation of DNA fragmentation of epididymal feline spermatozoa. The DFI seems to be
independent from all the measured variables of sperm head morphology and morphometry. Thus, the evaluation of the DNA status of spermatozoa could effectively contribute to
the comp letion of the standard analysis of fresh or frozen semen used in assisted reproductive technologies.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Cat; DNA; Epididymal spermatozoa; Morphometry
Elenco autori:
V. Vernocchi, M. Morselli, A. Lange Consiglio, M. Faustini, G.C. Luvoni
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