Age-dependent decline in sperm quality and function in a naturally short-lived vertebrate
2025

Sperm Quality and Function Decline with Age in Turquoise Killifish

Sample size: 40 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Cattelan Silvia, Valenzano Dario Riccardo

Primary Institution: Leibniz Institute on Aging, Jena, Germany

Hypothesis

Do short-lived turquoise killifish experience reproductive senescence as they age?

Conclusion

Male turquoise killifish show significant declines in sperm quality and fertilization success as they age.

Supporting Evidence

  • Adult males had a higher proportion of viable sperm compared to old males.
  • Sperm from adult males showed better DNA integrity than that from old males.
  • Fertilization success was significantly higher in adult males than in old males.
  • Embryo survival rates were lower for embryos fertilized by old males.

Takeaway

As turquoise killifish get older, their sperm doesn't work as well, which means they have a harder time having babies.

Methodology

The study measured sperm quality and fertilization success in adult and old male turquoise killifish through controlled experiments.

Potential Biases

Potential bias from using a limited number of males and females for IVF trials.

Limitations

The study focused only on male fish and did not explore female reproductive aging.

Participant Demographics

Adult males averaged 9.1 weeks old, while old males averaged 26.15 weeks old.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/s12862-024-02343-x

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