查看文章

OBJECTIVE: To review the mechanisms responsible for DNA fragmentation in human sperm, including those occurring during spermatogenesis and transport through the reproductive tract. The mechanisms examined include: apoptosis in the seminiferous tubule epithelium, defects in chromatin remodeling during the process of spermiogenesis, oxygen radical-induced DNA damage during sperm migration from the seminiferous tubules to the epididymis, the activation of sperm caspases and endonucleases, damage induced by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the effect of environmental toxicants. The different tests currently used for sperm DNA fragmentation analysis and the factors that determine the predictive value of sperm DNA fragmentation testing and their implications in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility are also discussed. Finally, we also scrutinize how the presence in the embryonic genome of …