Quantitative evaluation of p53 as a new indicator of DNA damage in human spermatozoa

BACKGROUND: Sperm DNA integrity is considered an important parameter to assess seminal fluid quality and can be used as a predictive test of potential fertility. Amongst the various tests to determine sperm DNA integrity, one is the Acridine Orange test. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of p53 in maintaining sperm DNA integrity. The aim of this study was to assess if a p53 ELISA assay could be a new indicator of DNA damage in human spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 103 human semen samples were evaluated using both Acridine Orange test and p53 ELISA and results were compared. RESULTS: A clear correlation between the values measured by two methods was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: If this hypothesis will be confirmed by further studies, the p53 ELISA assay could become a new and more precise indicator of DNA damage in human spermatozoa.