Table 1.
Correlations between autophagy markers, semen parameters and DNA damage.
| Parameters | ATG7 | LC3II/LC3I | Concentration (106/ml) | Motility (%) | Abnormal sperm morphology (%) | TUNEL (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATG7 | 1 | -0.223 | -0.679**(P=0.005) | -0.640* (P=0.01) | 0.421 | 0.841* (P=0.018) |
| LC3II/LC3I | -0.223 | 1 | -0.302 | -0.204 | 0.232 | -0.179 |
| Concentration(106/ml) | -0.679** (P=0.005) | -0.302 | 1 | 0.722** (P<0.001) | -0.207 | -0.663*(P= 0.026) |
| Motility (%) | -0.640* (P=0.01) | -0.204 | 0.722** (P<0.001) | 1 | -0.316 | -0.693*(P= 0.018) |
| Abnormal sperm morphology (%) | 0.421 | 0.232 | -0.207 | -0.316 | 1 | 0.264 |
*; Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed), **; Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed), ATG7; Autophagy-related 7, and TUNEL; Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling.