Investigation of sperm chromatin condensation by aniline blue staining in infertile men with normal and abnormal semen parameters

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between sperm chromatin condensation assessed by aniline blue staining and semen parameters in infertile men.

Methods: Infertile men applied to our urology clinics and diagnosed with normozoospermia (n=50), asthenozoospermia (n=17), oligozoospermia (n=3), teratozoospermia (n=2) oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) (n=10) according to their semen analysis were included in the study. Semen samples were evaluated for sperm chromatin condensation by aniline blue staining.

Results: The percentage of aniline-positive spermatozoa in the OAT and teratozoospermia group was found to be higher than in the normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic infertile groups (p=0.002, p=0.044 with normozoospermia group and p=0.026, p=0.007 with asthenozoospermia group, respectively). Sperm chromatin condensation was negatively correlated with sperm concentration (p=0.003, r=-0.322), total sperm count (p=0.004, r=-0.313), total progressive motile sperm count (p=0.005, r=-0.307), and normal morphology (p<0.0001, r=-0.554); and positively correlated with the percentage of immotile sperm (p=0.037, r=0.230).

Conclusion: Sperm chromatin condensation was found to be different in infertile men differently diagnosed based on their semen analysis. The results of the study suggest that chromatin condensation, together with routine sperm parameters, may constitute a valuable parameter in the evaluation of male fertility.