Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study
Abstract The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationship between sperm DNA damage and sperm parameters in male infertility patients and to assess the changes in sperm DNA fragmentation index before and after treatment with Levocarnitine in patients with asthenozoospermia and oligozoosp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Medical Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02480-z |
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| author | Kangsheng Liu Yajunchen Xiangdong Wang Mengjie Zhao Shimin Wu Ruifang An |
| author_facet | Kangsheng Liu Yajunchen Xiangdong Wang Mengjie Zhao Shimin Wu Ruifang An |
| author_sort | Kangsheng Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationship between sperm DNA damage and sperm parameters in male infertility patients and to assess the changes in sperm DNA fragmentation index before and after treatment with Levocarnitine in patients with asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia. The results of 508 patients’ semen samples tested between August 2021 and December 2022 in our Department of Urology and Reproductive Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. The 508 patients were divided into 3 groups: normal semen group (n = 181), asthenozoospermia group (n = 170), and oligozoospermia group (n = 157). Their sperm DNA integrity was evaluated using the sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) method and an artificial Intelligence-based DNA fragmentation index (AI-DFI). The patients were divided into two groups based on the assessment of sperm DNA integrity: a sperm DNA damage group and a sperm DNA integrity group. The two groups were then compared in terms of sperm concentration, motility, viability, and the proportion of normal sperm morphology. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis was employed to examine the relationship between sperm DNA damage and semen parameters. The results showed that sperm concentration, progressive motility, viability, and normal morphology rate were significantly lower in the DNA damaged group, and correlation analysis showed that the results of sperm DNA damage detection was negatively correlated with these semen parameters. And the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) was highest in the asthenozoospermia group, followed by the oligospermia group and the normal group, with significant differences between the groups (20.30 ± 2.85; 18.62 ± 2.42; 12.83 ± 2.13, P = 0.01). Treatment of patients in the group with sperm DNA damage with Levocarnitine oral solution was found to significantly improve sperm concentration, progressive motility, viability, normal morphology rate, and DFI results after its use (t = 7.265, 5.823, 7.750, 8.737, 8.355; P = 0.03, 0.02, 0.02, 0.03, 0.01). This study concludes that men with asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia have a high DFI, and Levocarnitine is effective in reducing DNA damage and improving sperm quality, suggesting that Levocarnitine has potential for clinical use. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8fbda03679034c75aa2c3ed96dc88a99 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2047-783X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | European Journal of Medical Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-8fbda03679034c75aa2c3ed96dc88a992025-08-20T02:49:33ZengBMCEuropean Journal of Medical Research2047-783X2025-03-013011910.1186/s40001-025-02480-zDetection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional studyKangsheng Liu0Yajunchen1Xiangdong Wang2Mengjie Zhao3Shimin Wu4Ruifang An5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Women’S Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Women and Children’S Healthcare HospitalDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing Chest Hospital, Medical School of Southeast UniversityDepartment of Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, The Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityAffiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese MedicineDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityAbstract The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationship between sperm DNA damage and sperm parameters in male infertility patients and to assess the changes in sperm DNA fragmentation index before and after treatment with Levocarnitine in patients with asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia. The results of 508 patients’ semen samples tested between August 2021 and December 2022 in our Department of Urology and Reproductive Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. The 508 patients were divided into 3 groups: normal semen group (n = 181), asthenozoospermia group (n = 170), and oligozoospermia group (n = 157). Their sperm DNA integrity was evaluated using the sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) method and an artificial Intelligence-based DNA fragmentation index (AI-DFI). The patients were divided into two groups based on the assessment of sperm DNA integrity: a sperm DNA damage group and a sperm DNA integrity group. The two groups were then compared in terms of sperm concentration, motility, viability, and the proportion of normal sperm morphology. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis was employed to examine the relationship between sperm DNA damage and semen parameters. The results showed that sperm concentration, progressive motility, viability, and normal morphology rate were significantly lower in the DNA damaged group, and correlation analysis showed that the results of sperm DNA damage detection was negatively correlated with these semen parameters. And the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) was highest in the asthenozoospermia group, followed by the oligospermia group and the normal group, with significant differences between the groups (20.30 ± 2.85; 18.62 ± 2.42; 12.83 ± 2.13, P = 0.01). Treatment of patients in the group with sperm DNA damage with Levocarnitine oral solution was found to significantly improve sperm concentration, progressive motility, viability, normal morphology rate, and DFI results after its use (t = 7.265, 5.823, 7.750, 8.737, 8.355; P = 0.03, 0.02, 0.02, 0.03, 0.01). This study concludes that men with asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia have a high DFI, and Levocarnitine is effective in reducing DNA damage and improving sperm quality, suggesting that Levocarnitine has potential for clinical use.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02480-zSperm DNA damageInfertilitySemen qualityLevocarnitineDFI |
| spellingShingle | Kangsheng Liu Yajunchen Xiangdong Wang Mengjie Zhao Shimin Wu Ruifang An Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study European Journal of Medical Research Sperm DNA damage Infertility Semen quality Levocarnitine DFI |
| title | Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Detection of sperm DNA damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of Levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion (SCD) and AI-DFI methods: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | detection of sperm dna damage in male infertility patients and evaluation of levocarnitine efficacy using sperm chromatin diffusion scd and ai dfi methods a cross sectional study |
| topic | Sperm DNA damage Infertility Semen quality Levocarnitine DFI |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02480-z |
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