Testicular spermatozoa have statistically significantly lower DNA damage compared with ejaculated spermatozoa in patients with unsuccessful oral antioxidant treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To compare DNA damage in ejaculated and testicular spermatozoa in patients with previously unsuccessful oral antioxidant treatment.
DESIGN: Prospective clinical study.
SETTING: University-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): Twelve men with persistently high sperm DNA damage. INTERVENTION(S): Evaluation of DNA damage of ejaculated and testicular spermatozoa by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The DNA damage of ejaculated spermatozoa compared with that of testicular spermatozoa, both samples collected on the day of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. RESULT(S): Ejaculated spermatozoa showed a threefold higher DNA damage when compared with testicular samples (39.7% +/- 14.8 vs. 13.3% +/- 7.3). CONCLUSION(S): Our results indicated that in patients with previously unsuccessful oral antioxidant treatment the retrieved testicular spermatozoa had a lower degree of DNA damage compared with ejaculated sperm collected on the same day. Copyright 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.