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Development of a novel cervix-inspired tortuous microfluidic system for efficient, high-quality sperm selection
Ehsan Dadkhah1,2,3, Mohammad Amin Hajari2, Seyedamirhosein Abdorahimzadeh4
1Micro Nano System Laboratory (MNSL), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box: 11155-967, Tehran, Iran. mtaghipoor@sharif.ir.
Lab on a Chip
|June 8, 2023
Summary
Serpentine microfluidic channels significantly improve sperm selection by enhancing motility and reducing DNA damage compared to conventional methods. This novel approach offers a user-friendly and rapid alternative for clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Reproductive Biology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Conventional sperm selection methods face challenges with efficiency and sperm quality preservation.
- Microfluidic systems offer a promising alternative, but the impact of channel geometry requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of serpentine microchannel geometry on sperm selection efficiency and quality.
- To compare the performance of optimized microfluidic channels against traditional sperm selection techniques.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of serpentine microchannels with varying radii of curvature.
- Evaluation of sperm motility (total, progressive, VCL, VAP, VSL) and quality parameters.
- Comparison with straight microchannels, swim-up, and density gradient centrifugation (DGC).
Main Results:
- Microchannels with a 150 μm radius of curvature enhanced sperm motility and kinematic parameters.
- A novel boundary detachment-reattachment (BDR) sperm migration pattern was observed in curved channels.
- The parallelized microfluidic chip improved motility, reduced reactive oxygen species, and decreased DNA fragmentation compared to DGC.
Conclusions:
- Serpentine microfluidic channels, particularly with a 150 μm radius of curvature and gentle backflow, offer superior sperm selection.
- The discovered BDR pattern contributes to enhanced selection performance.
- This microfluidic system presents a user-friendly, rapid, and effective alternative for clinical sperm selection.
