56 - Telomeres and Male Infertility

Poster Board Number: 56
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Abstract Body : ABSTRACT
Introduction: Today, millions of individuals throughout the world are battling ‘Infertility’, which approximates to 48.5 million or 15 percent couples worldwide, according to WHO. ‘Male infertility’ is the inability of a male to conceive a child with a fertile female. For males experiencing difficulty conceiving with their partners, diagnostic techniques are largely restricted to a routine semen study. Studies probing into various genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms of human reproduction are expanding. ‘Telomeres’ and their critical role in meiosis and fertilization has recently come to the forefront of scientific discussion. Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures that protect chromosome ends from DNA damage. The germ cell telomeres have a pivotal role to play in meiosis and reproduction. The possibility of a normal embryonic development may be diminished, if spermatozoa with shorter telomeres fertilize the ovum, an increased risk of apoptosis, and a lack of implantation. The limited data on the association between telomeres and fertility/infertility shows that shorter telomere length and human reproduction are linearly related. Aim: To study the significance of sperm telomeres and infertility in men. Materials and Methods: Analytic: Case-Control study that included total of seventy-four males in couple, who were Sub-fertile/Infertile (case group) and forty healthy males (control group) with proven paternity was conducted in the age group 21-35 years. The absolute sperm telomere length (aSTL in Kb/genome) was measured by real-time PCR. The values between two groups were evaluated and the correlation between aSTL with other sperm parameters was ascertained. Results: Significant shorter sperm mean absolute sperm telomere length (aSTL) was observed in the test group; both among the primary and secondary infertile men as opposed to men in the control group who fathered a normal healthy child. (p≤ 0.01) A significant association between mean aSTL and sperm parameters was discovered. A detection of moderate to strong positive significant correlation between mean aSTL values and sperm count (millions/ml), total sperm number (/Ejaculate), total sperm motility percent was made (p ≤ 0.001). A moderate significant positive correlation between mean aSTL values and progressive sperm motility (%), sperm viability (%) was evident in the case group (p ≤ 0.001). Normozoospermic men demonstrated longer sperm telomeres in comparison to men with Oligozoospermia and Teratzoospermia. Conclusion: The sperm telomere length estimation was performed by a modified Q-PCR technique, which portrayed their absolute lengths, unlike relative lengths put forth by many researchers. The measurement of aSTL by real-time PCR is a simple and rapid method, that offers further paramount information with respective to the quality of sperm. In addition to being cost-effective and reproducible, good diagnostic accuracy of (91%) high sensitivity (82%) and specificity (95%) It is befitted for epidemiological studies, hence opening new perspectives in the evaluation of male infertility. Limitations: The current study was confined to men aged between 21-35 years. Further comparative studies are needed to explore the significance of STL and infertility in older males. Additional studies will help illumine the significance of aSTL as a prognostic biomarker in assisted reproduction. Source of Funding: None.