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Separation efficiency of a microfluidic sperm sorter to minimize sperm DNA damage
Kyoko Shirota1, Fusanori Yotsumoto1, Hiroko Itoh1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Objective:
To evaluate whether microfluidic sperm sorters (MFSSs) allow effective recovery of sorted motile sperm without DNA damage compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure.
Design:
Experimental laboratory study. All participants completed questionnaires regarding previous and/or current diseases, surgery, reproductive experiences, lifestyle factors, and date of the preceding ejaculation.
Setting:
University research laboratory.
Patient(S):
Male volunteers were recruited without setting conditions. Semen samples from healthy volunteers (n = 37) were collected in sterile containers by masturbation.
Intervention(S):
Flow cytometric measurement and sperm chromatin structure assay analysis of DNA damage after sperm preparation using MFSS and the centrifugation and swim-up procedure.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Efficacy and efficiency of sperm preparation, correlation between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and semen parameters, and relationship between basic characteristics and DFI after the centrifugation and swim-up procedure.
Result(S):
Final sperm concentration and motility were significantly different between the centrifugation and swim-up procedure and MFSS sperm preparations. A significantly lower sperm DNA fragmentation rate was detected with MFSS compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure use. No correlation was observed between DFI and smoking or drinking, but significant correlations were observed between DFI and medication use and sexual abstinence duration.
Conclusion(S):
MFSSs can be used to efficiently and reliably prepare sperm compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure. Further research on the clinical use of MFSSs is required to evaluate the safety and usefulness of this device.
