Evaluación de la calidad del adn espermático en camélidos sudamericanos y otras especies domésticas

Abnormalities in sperm genetic material can be expressed as maturation or nuclear condensation defects, DNA damage or breakdown and chromosomal abnormalities. Routine semen evaluation (sperm motility, concentration, viability, membrane function and morphology) does not reflect sperm DNA quality. This becomes important when applying assisted reproductive techniques, especially intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which sperm with abnormal genomes can reach the oocyte’s genetic material. Three factors have been suggested to be involved in the etiology of DNA damage: oxidative stress, chromatin packaging anomalies and apoptosis. Various techniques have been used to study DNA defects. In general, DNA evaluation techniques can be divided into two groups: those that evaluate the degree of chromatin condensation or compactation and those that measure the degree of DNA fragmentation. Many of these techniques are laborious, costly and some depend on enzymes whose activity and accessibility to DNA fragments can be irregular. In this article, the development and setting up of various techniques to evaluate sperm chromatin in South American Camelids (SACs) and other domestic species is commented on.