Comparison of Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay with Sperm Chromatin Dispersion Test for DNA Fragmentation Evaluation in Human Sperm

Objective To assess sperm chromatin structure assay(SCSA) and sperm chromatin dispersion test(SCD) for DNA fragmentation evaluation in human infertility, and the correlation between these two methods.Methods We used SCSA and SCD assays to detect DNA fragmentation in sperm from 134 infertile men. The correlation of SCSA and SCD assays was analyzed. The sperm DNA fragmentation index(DFI) was divided into 3groups(≤ 15%DFI, 15 ~ ≤ 30%DFI and 30%DFI), and the difference between SCSA and SCD assays was assessed. Results The SCSA assay was strongly correlated with the SCD assay for sperm DNA fragmentation(r = 0.915, P 0.001). There was no significant difference between 15 ~ ≤ 30%DFI and 30%DFI groups.However, SCD showed higher levels of DNA fragmentation than that measured by SCSA for ≤15%DFI group(13.504.82 vs 9.79 2.60, P 0.001). Conclusion There is a strong positive correlation between SCSA and SCD assays in detection of DNA fragmentation. SCD assay showed higher levels of DNA fragmentation than that measured by SCSA for ≤15%DFI group.