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Efficacy of the swim-up method in eliminating sperm with diminished maturity and aneuploidy

Attila Jakab1, Tamas Kovacs, Zoltan Zavaczki

  • 1The Sperm Physiology Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New Haven, CT, USA.

Human Reproduction (Oxford, England)
|July 2, 2003
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The swim-up method effectively reduces sperm with chromosomal abnormalities and immaturity. While less effective for disomies than Percoll, it shows higher efficacy for diploidies.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Human Genetics
  • Sperm Analysis

Background:

  • Previous studies demonstrated Percoll centrifugation reduces sperm with chromosomal disomies and diploidies.
  • A correlation (r=0.7) was observed between disomies and immature sperm, suggesting immaturity as the origin of chromosomal abnormalities.
  • This study investigated the swim-up method's efficacy in eliminating immature and chromosomally abnormal sperm.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of the swim-up sperm preparation method.
  • To assess the reduction of sperm with diminished maturity and chromosomal aberrations post-swim-up.
  • To compare swim-up efficacy with previous gradient centrifugation results.

Main Methods:

  • Sperm fractions from 10 patients were analyzed using fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) with specific chromosome probes.
  • Three-color (X, Y, 17) and two-color (10, 11) FISH assessed chromosomal aberrations, evaluating 10,000 sperm per sample.
  • Diminished maturity sperm were identified using creatine kinase immunocytochemistry.

Main Results:

  • Swim-up resulted in a 1.4-fold reduction in sex chromosome disomies and a 1.5-fold reduction in autosomal disomies.
  • A 1.5-fold reduction in diminished maturity sperm was observed, correlating with chromosomal aneuploidies (r=0.46).
  • Diploid sperm showed a significant 2.7-fold reduction, with a slight increase in X/Y ratios.

Conclusions:

  • The swim-up method effectively reduces the proportion of sperm with chromosomal aberrations and diminished maturity.
  • Compared to gradient centrifugation, swim-up is less effective for reducing disomies but more effective for diploidies.
  • Swim-up offers a viable alternative for sperm preparation, particularly for reducing diploid sperm.

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