RESUMEN
PURPOSE: Induced chromosomal instability and micronucleus (MN) formation in blood lymphocytes of infertile men in comparison with fertile men exposed to gamma radiation was investigated. METHODS: Blood samples of healthy and infertile donors were irradiated by 2 and 4 Gy Co-60 gamma-rays, then cultured in RPMI-1640 complete medium containing 1% phytoheamaglutinin (PHA) and incubated in a CO(2) incubator. Cytochalasin-B was added to the cultures at a final concentration of 4 µg/ml. Finally, harvesting, slide making, and analysis were performed according to standard procedures. RESULTS: We observed a statistically significant difference between the frequencies of micronuclei in lymphocytes of infertile individuals, compared to healthy donors, before and after exposure to gamma rays. Although higher in azoospermia patients, the frequency of MN was not statistically different between infertile groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that genomic instability in infertile men could probably contribute to the development of an impaired reproductive capacity.