ArticleFrontiers in endocrinology2020
Bio-Functional Sperm Parameters: Does Age Matter?
Article in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Fertility in the aging male: a systematic review.Fertility and sterility · 2022Pooled it
- Flow cytometry sperm apoptosis test can predict sperm DNA fragmentation and can be used as an effective and easy-to-perform screening method for males from infertile couples.Translational andrology and urology · 2026Article
- Age-Associated Metabolomic Changes in Human Spermatozoa.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Age-Associated Proteomic Changes in Human Spermatozoa.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Early pregnancy loss rate in first-time fresh cycles of low prognosis patients according to the POSEIDON criteria: a single-center data analysis.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2025Article
- Artificial intelligence in andrology - fact or fiction: essential takeaway for busy clinicians.Asian journal of andrology · 2024Review
- Novel insights into necrozoospermia from a single-center study: reference ranges, possible etiology, and impact on male fertility.Asian journal of andrology · 2024Article
- Reproductive Ageing: Current insights and a potential role of NAD in the reproductive health of aging fathers and their children.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2024Review
- Analysis of sperm chromatin packaging and reproductive biomarker to evaluate the consequence of advanced male age.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Review
- Age-Related Decline of Male Fertility: Mitochondrial Dysfunction and the Antioxidant Interventions.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Sperm Vitality and Necrozoospermia: Diagnosis, Management, and Results of a Global Survey of Clinical Practice.The world journal of men's health · 2022Review
- Sperm-carried IGF2 downregulated the expression of mitogens produced by Sertoli cells: A paracrine mechanism for regulating spermatogenesis?Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Article
- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Relationship between Obesity and Male Infertility.Metabolites · 2021Review
- Retrospective Monocentric Clinical Study on Male Infertility: Comparison between Two Different Therapeutic Schemes Using Follicle-Stimulating Hormone.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The evaluation of biofunctional sperm parameters can explain some cases of idiopathic male infertility. Among these, sperm DNA fragmentation (fDNA) is the most studied biofunctional sperm parameter. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) correlates positively with sperm motility, the evaluation of sperm apoptosis by flow cytometry allows us to identify a population of spermatozoa not recognizable at the optical microscopy and finally, lipid peroxidation (LP) and mitochondrial superoxide levels measurements are rational oxidative stress indices. Male age seems to affect sperm concentration and sperm fDNA. For these reasons, this study was undertaken to evaluate the correlation, if any, between male age and biofunctional sperm parameters evaluating their possible impact on fDNA. To accomplish this, MMP, degree of chromatin compactness, sperm apoptosis/vitality, fDNA, LP, and mitochondrial superoxide levels were evaluated by flow cytometry in a cohort of 874 men. A significant negative correlation was found between age and the percentage of alive spermatozoa (r = -0.75, p < 0.05). The percentage of spermatozoa with low MMP (L-MMP) correlated positively with the percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin compactness (r = 0.24, p < 0.05). Spermatozoa with abnormal chromatin compactness and L-MMP correlated negatively with the percentage of alive spermatozoa (r = 0.83, p < 0.05) and positively with spermatozoa with PS externalization (r = 0.13, p < 0.01). The percentage of alive spermatozoa correlated negatively with both the percentage of spermatozoa with PS externalization (r = 0.24, p < 0.01) and of the spermatozoa with fDNA (r = 0.10, p < 0.05). Spermatozoa with PS externalization correlated positively with the percentage of spermatozoa with fDNA (r = 0.09, p < 0.05). Spermatozoa with LP correlated positively with the percentage of spermatozoa with increased mitochondrial superoxide (r = 0.11, p < 0.01) In conclusion, these findings in a large number of men suggest that age, mitochondrial damage, and alteration of chromatin compactness could activate the apoptotic cascade which could result in an increased fDNA rate.
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