The rate of spermatozoa with residual histones in infertile patients; a five years study.

Introduction: Sperm chromatin condensation is a complex process. During this process 85% of histones are replaced by protamines. Protamine deficiency has a negative impact on male fertility, fertilization and early embryonic development. The main goal was to evaluate the rate of spermatozoa with residual histones in a large community of infertile patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 1394 men referred to andrology laboratory during 5 years (2008-2013), were divided into two groups. 1044 men who had abnormal sperm parameters were considered as case and 350 normozoospermic men as normal groups. Semen analysis was performed according to WHO guidelines. Sperm chromatin integrity was assessed using Acidic Aniline Blue (AAB) assay. Results: The rate of AB-reacted spermatozoa were significantly higher in case group compared to the normal group (54.29±19.12 vs. 49.78± 18.32, respecfively, p<0.0001). There was a negative correlation between progressive motility, normal morphology and AB-reacted spermatozoa in infertile patients (Pearson correlation= -0.24, p<0.0001 and Pearson correlation= -0.22, p<0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: The infertile men with abnormal semen parameters showed a higher proportion of sperm cells with residual histones and immature chromatin than those men with normal semen indices. Therefore, it seems evaluation of sperm DNA/chromatin integrity could be regarded as a part of male infertility work-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]