DNA Damage

This is a study to assess the effect of dietary zinc supplementation to mitigate biomarkers of metal toxicity in exposed tribal populations.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the LensHooke CA0 device lowers DNA fragmentation in sperm samples compared to a gradient/swim-up technique. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does the LensHooke® CA0 device reduce DNA fragmentation compared to the gradient/swim-up technique? 2. Does the LensHooke® CA0 device improve concentration, motility, and morphology compared to the gradient/swim-up technique? 3. Is sibling embryo fertilization and development the same? 4. Are pregnancy rates different between the 2 groups? 1 semen sample will be split between the 2 treatment techniques. Half of the partner's egg cohort will be injected via intra-cytoplasmic sperm using sperm processed by one technique and the other half of the cohort will be injected by the sperm processed by the other technique. Both methods will look at DNA fragmentation, concentration, motility, and morphology of the sperm. Both methods will be compared in the resulting embryos looking at fertilization, embryo development and pregnancy rates.

Varicocele is often associated with infertility and reduction in sperm quality, and it is one of the most common causes of reversible male infertility. The exact mechanism of infertility caused due to varicocele formation remains unclear. One of the suggested theories is related to increased oxidative stress that causes sperm DNA damage, including DNA fragmentation, and is correlated with the decreased capacity of spermatozoa to fertilize oocytes during normal fertilization and assisted reproduction techniques. This is supported by the evidence that there is a higher prevalence of DNA fragmentation in varicocele patients and a correlation between the presence of varicocele and impaired sperm DNA integrity. Several tests have been developed to better assess the fertility potential of sperm, including those designed to measure sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation (SDF). The sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) is a potential parameter for fertility investigation, reflecting sperm DNA integrity and damage.