Experimental study on the effect of flow in microfluidic channel on bovine sperm navigation

The navigation mechanism of mammalian sperm in the female reproductive tract is unclear owing to its complex process. This study performed an in vitro experiment using the microfluidic channel with two reservoirs to investigate the effect of fluid flow on the swimming properties of the bovine sperm. The width and height of the manufactured channel were 200 and 20 μm, respectively. The flow in the microchannel occurs because of the hydraulic head difference between the two reservoirs. Sperm with positive rheotaxis proceed in the opposite direction of the flow in the channel after swimming up the downstream reservoir. This study focused on the effect of the flow in the microfluidic channel on sperm motility. It was observed that sperm mostly moved along the channel wall and accumulated near the wall away from the downstream reservoir. The existence of fluid flow in the channel brought about an increase in the ratio of the sperm with positive rheotaxis. Furthermore, the experimental results indicated that the motility of sperm swimming against the flow along the wall increased away from the downstream reservoir. These results will provide useful information to understand the mechanism of sperm navigation for in vivo fertilization.