Genetic and Epigenetic Damage in Human Spermatozoa

This book is a comprehensive resource on possible DNA damages in sperm, the relation to male infertility, and possible transgenerational heritable effects. There are several types of damage that can be found in the male gamete. Genetic damage in spermatozoa can originate during spermatogenesis, or it can originate during transit in both male and female genital tracts. Damage can also be due to ageing, environmental or iatrogenic conditions, as well as to the protocols to cryopreserve and to select spermatozoa in assisted reproduction techniques. The new edition presents a thorough update of the state of science for genetic damage in human spermatozoa. It focuses on basic or clinical aspects related to genetic damage in human spermatozoa, including when and why sperm DNA fragmentation (sDF) should be tested in clinical practice; which is the best method to reveal sDF, and whether novel tools for sperm selection will advance current results. Chapters also cover the state of art of genetic causes of male infertility, the advancing promised by the next-generation sequencing (NGS), as well as the the novelties coming from the field of epigenetics, from the concept of epigenetic developmental plasticity, to the potential diagnostic and prognostic role of sperm epigenome evaluation in the field of male infertility and assisted reproduction.