INVESTIGATION OF GLOBOZOOSPERMIA’S MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND DNA FRAGMENTATION IN OLIGOZOOSPERMIA CASES IN INFERTILE MALES

Abstract

Total globozoospermia is diagnosed by the presence of 100% round-headed spermatozoa without acrosomes. It is still unclear whether patients whose ejaculate contains both normal and globozoospermic cells (partial globozoospermia) suffer from a variation of the same syndrome. Affected men may experience decreased fertility and even infertility. In some cases, an increased number of cells with DNA fragmentation has also been observed in patients with globozoospermia..In this study, standard semen analysis methods in accordance with WHO criteria were applied to infertile male patient groups consisting of 20 normozoospermic and 20 oligozoospermic individuals who were admitted to our clinic. Age, sperm parameters (volume, vitality, concentration, total motility and morphology) were determined and statistically analyzed in normozoospermic and oligozoospermic infertile men.Sperms were stained with the Eosin-Nigrosin method and were visualized under an immersion lens light microscope and evaluated for vitality. The slides were stained using sperm staining solutions with the Spermac technique and the sperms were evaluated morphologically. Sperm DNA fragmentation damage was evaluated by acridine orange staining method.Our results revealed that sperm morphological features (Kruger test) and sperm DNA fragmentation, obtained with various staining techniques, are important in the clinical approach to male infertility and ART methods, and should be used together.