Evaluation of the effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) on the sperm parameters

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely used to treat women with infertility but is rarely used in men with similar conditions. Several studies have shown that PRP contains a large spectrum of growth factors that may benefit sperm, but the application of PRP in sperm processing techniques has not been examined completely yet. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding PRP supplementation to human semen in the incubation and swim-up processes and evaluate the sperm parameters after PRP addition.

The current experimental study has included 80 semen samples. The semen samples were collected from 40 men with asthenoteratozoospermia and 40 normozoospermic men. The study was conducted at the Infertility Center of Taleghani Hospital from October 2023 to April 2024, and the role of PRP on sperm parameters was tested based on WHO guidelines. Each sample was divided into two equal parts. The first one, as a control, received no platelet-rich plasma, and the second sample portion was added directly to 2 % concentrations of platelet-rich plasma. The incubation and swim-up processes were performed in two groups, and sperm parameters were compared between samples incubated with PRP and samples without PRP treatment.

After incubation, the results of normal samples showed a significant rise in sperm total and progressive motility. However, the increasing effect on sperm non-progressive motility and viability was not substantial. The asthenoteratozoospermic samples showed a significant rise in sperm total, progressive, and non-progressive motility, but the increasing effect on sperm viability was not significant. After swim-up, the results of normal samples showed a significant rise in concentration and sperm total and progressive motility but the rise in sperm non-progressive motility and morphology was not significant. The results in samples with the asthenoteratozoospermic group showed a significant rise in concentration, total motility, progressive motility, and non-progressive motility but the rise in sperm morphology was not significant.

These results show that PRP has effectively improved human sperm quality. So we can suggest that incubation and swim-up of semen samples with PRP may be considered as a new treatment option for men with infertility undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART).