Abstract
The comet assay is one of the techniques that has been extensively used to assess DNA damage in both the somatic cells and the spermatozoa over the past years. The results are robust and, as difference with other strategies to assess DNA damage, information about the presence of single-strand breaks (SSBs) or double-strand breaks (DSBs) can be obtained. The characterization of SSBs and DSBs profiles provides a more comprehensive analysis of sperm DNA quality for their clinical application. In this chapter, the utility comet assay as a diagnostic test for male infertility and as a prognostic test for assisted reproductive techniques is summarized.
The characterization of SSB and DSB profiles provides a more comprehensive analysis of sperm DNA quality for potential clinical application. In this chapter, we describe the different types of comet assay strategies to assess for the presence of SSBs and/or DSBs. Additionally, some characteristics related to the presence of alkali-labile sites in alkaline comet are also presented. The utility of the comet assay as a diagnostic test for male infertility and as a prognostic test for assisted reproductive techniques is summarized.
Keywords
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Cortés-Gutiérrez, E.I., Dávila-Rodríguez, M.I., López-Fernández, C. (2018). The Comet Assay. In: Zini, A., Agarwal, A. (eds) A Clinician's Guide to Sperm DNA and Chromatin Damage. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71815-6_7
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