Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40051534›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in reproductive health2025

The correlation between sperm DNA methylation and DNA damage: a comparison of comet and TUNEL.

Hailey Zimmerman, Tim Jenkins

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in reproductive health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Hailey ZimmermanDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.
Tim JenkinsDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States.

Funding

NICHD NIH HHS HHSN275201200007C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between sperm DNA methylation and DNA damage as determined by the comet or TUNEL assays. Design: Retrospective research study. Setting: University-based andrology and Patients: Data came from 1,470 male partners (ages 18 and older) recruited from heterosexual couples (ages 18-45 years) seeking fertility treatments. These data were analyzed retrospectively from the Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial (FAZST) study. Main outcome measures: Comet and TUNEL measures and associations with DNA methylation patterns. Results: Comet and TUNEL values were correlated with one another across all samples ( Conclusions: Because the comet and TUNEL assays are both used to indicate levels of DNA damage, and outputs of both are correlated to each other, it would seem to follow that both are equally predictive of deviations in DNA methylation patterns. The findings of this study suggest that this is not the case. The comet assay shows a significantly higher association with DNA methylation disruption, and we therefore believe it to be a better indicator of sperm epigenetic health.

Indexed as

cometcomet assayDNA damageDNA methylationsperm DNATUNELTUNEL assay

Identifiers

PMID40051534
PMCPMC11882583

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.