{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T10:56:51Z","timestamp":1791975411106,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,2]],"date-time":"2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743552000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Membranes"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigated the interrelationships between sperm plasma membrane integrity, motility, and DNA fragmentation (SDF) to provide a more holistic understanding of male fertility. A total of 1159 ejaculates were analyzed for sperm membrane integrity (% dead spermatozoa), motility (% immotile spermatozoa), and SDF (% sperm with fragmented DNA). The statistical methods included non-parametric correlation analysis and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated cluster analysis to identify patterns based on these three parameters. The results showed a moderate correlation (\u03c1 = 0.65; p &lt; 0.000) between sperm membrane integrity and motility, indicating that immotile sperm were more likely to exhibit membrane damage. A weak correlation (\u03c1 = 0.21; p &lt; 0.000) suggested that DNA damage was largely independent of the other sperm parameters. Cluster analysis identified three main clusters: Cluster 0: high levels of low membrane integrity, immotile sperm, and moderate DNA fragmentation. Cluster 1: moderate membrane integrity and motility but extremely high DNA fragmentation. Cluster 2: the lowest levels of membrane damage, immotile sperm, and DNA fragmentation, indicating overall better sperm quality. The clustering techniques demonstrated their ability to integrate multiple sperm parameters, enabling a more individualized fertility diagnosis and potentially enhancing male infertility assessments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/membranes15040109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,2]],"date-time":"2025-04-02T04:06:05Z","timestamp":1743566765000},"page":"109","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["The Nexus Between Sperm Membrane Integrity, Sperm Motility, and DNA Fragmentation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Alfredo","family":"G\u00f3ngora","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Fertilidad Humana en Mexico DF, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 06760, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0290-5458","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephen","family":"Johnston","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Environment, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"},{"name":"School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3067-915X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Contreras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Halotech DNA, Parque Cientifico de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmen","family":"L\u00f3pez-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Halotech DNA, Parque Cientifico de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaime","family":"Gos\u00e1lvez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2021). 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