Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Gold Nanoparticle for Sperm Quality Discrimination

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Spectroscopy
• Reproductive Biology

Background:

• Sperm quality assessment is crucial for reproductive diagnostics.
• Current methods for sperm analysis can be time-consuming and subjective.
• Novel techniques are needed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of sperm evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for distinguishing between different sperm preparation methods.
• To develop and validate multivariate analysis models for sperm quality assessment using SERS.
• To explore SERS as a tool for enhancing reproductive diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Spermatozoa were isolated using washing, post-capacitation, and swim-up techniques from 35 semen samples.
• Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) was employed to analyze the isolated sperm.
• Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) models were constructed using spectral markers at 408 cm⁻¹ and 728 cm⁻¹.

Main Results:

• SERS spectra revealed distinct variations related to S-S bonds and DNA alterations.
• A PLS-DA model successfully differentiated washed sperm from post-capacitation and swim-up samples with 91% accuracy.
• A second PLS-DA model distinguished between post-capacitation and swim-up samples with 74% accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The combination of SERS and multivariate analysis provides a promising, accurate, and efficient method for sperm quality assessment.
• This approach can effectively differentiate sperm populations prepared by various methods.
• SERS offers a potential advancement in the field of reproductive diagnostics.