It is well-recognized that as men get older they do not stop producing spermatozoa; however, the quality of their gametes exhibits a progressive age-related decline as indicated by a highly significant, age-dependent increase in sperm DNA damage. 56 , 57 Studies on the brown Norway rat indicate that this age-dependent increase in DNA damage in spermatozoa is associated with a concomitant down regulation of genes associated with the BER pathway and a corresponding increase in the levels of oxidative DNA damage in the spermatozoa. 58 This relationship between paternal age and oxidative DNA damage in spermatozoa has also been indicated by recent studies on the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8).
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