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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Using an Extracellular Flux Analyzer to Measure Changes in Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation during Mouse Sperm Capacitation
Published on: January 22, 2020
Evidence for Rapid Oxidative Phosphorylation and Lactate Fermentation in Motile Human Sperm by Hyperpolarized 13C
Steven Reynolds1, Nurul Fadhlina Bt Ismail2, Sarah J Calvert3
1Academic Unit of Radiology, Department of Immunity, Infection and Cardiovascular Disease, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, S10 2JF, UK. steven.reynolds@sheffield.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Poor sperm motility is a common cause of male infertility for which there are no empirical therapies. Sperm motility is powered by adenosine triphosphate but the relative importance of lactate fermentation and Oxidative Phosphorylation (OxPhos) is debated. To study the relationship between energy metabolism and sperm motility we used dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (dDNP) for the first time to show the rapid conversion of 13C1-pyruvate to lactate and bicarbonate, indicating active glycolytic and OxPhos metabolism in sperm. The magnitude of both lactate and bicarbonate signals were positively correlated with the concentration of progressively motile sperm. After controlling for sperm concentration, increased progressive sperm motility generated more pyruvate conversion to lactate and bicarbonate. The technique of dDNP allows 'snapshots' of sperm metabolism to be tracked over the different stages of their life. This may provide help to uncover the causes of poor sperm motility and suggest new approaches for novel treatments or therapies.
