Comparative study between SpermSlow™ hyaluronan and traditional sperm selection in ICSI outcome

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Assisted reproductive technology (ART)

Background:

• Hyaluronic acid (HA) functions as a 'physiologic selector' in vitro.
• Spermatozoa binding to HA indicate completed maturation and plasma membrane remodeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an alternative HA-containing product (SpermSlow™-ICSI) for sperm selection.
• To assess its impact on fertilization, embryo quality, implantation, and pregnancy rates in ICSI cycles.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of SpermSlow™-ICSI with conventional polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-ICSI.
• Analysis of outcomes including fertilization rate, embryo quality, and pregnancy rate across different sperm parameters.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement in embryo quality was observed in the SpermSlow™-ICSI group, particularly in patients with teratozoospermia.
• Pregnancy rates showed insignificant differences between SpermSlow™-ICSI and PVP-ICSI across normozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and teratozoospermia groups.

Conclusions:

• The hyaluronic acid-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (HA-ICSI) technique shows promise in improving embryo quality.
• HA-ICSI may be a valuable tool in assisted reproduction technology (ART) for enhancing fertilization and pregnancy rates.