Assessment of the sperm DNA Fragmentation using SCSA by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry in males from an andrology clinic

The assessment of male fertility has traditionally depended on the evaluation of conventional semen parameters. Recent advances have identified sperm DNA fragmentation as a valuable biomarker for the assessment of male infertility. This study recruited 121 men from an andrology clinic to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), utilizing the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) through both flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The study also explored the relationship between sperm DFI and standard semen parameters such as concentration, motility and morphology. The results showed that men with abnormal semen parameters were found to have significantly reduced sperm progressive motility (p < 0.001), total motility (p < 0.001) and normal morphology (p < 0.001), as well as higher sperm DFI, as determined by both fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry (both p < 0.001), compared to those with normal semen parameters. A negative correlation was observed between sperm progressive motility, total motility, sperm normal morphology and sperm DFI, regardless of whether the DFI evaluation was conducted using fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry (all p < 0.001). In conclusion, the application of the SCSA assay via both fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry reveals that sperm DFI is closely associated with seminal parameters, reinforcing its utility in the clinical evaluation of male fertility.

Sperm DNA fragmentation; DFI; SCSA; Fluorescence microscopy; Flow cytometry

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