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Comparison of Swim-Up and Microfluidic Sperm Sorting Methods in Selection of Sperm for Intracytoplasmic Sperm
Michal Ješeta1, Adéla Doubravská1, Jana Antalíková2
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Brno, Masaryk University Brno, Jihlavská 20, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|June 13, 2025
Summary
Microfluidic sperm sorting (MFSS) shows promise for infertility treatment, particularly by reducing DNA-fragmented sperm in men with abnormal analysis. However, it offers no significant advantage over the swim-up (SU) technique for most patients.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Andrology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Microfluidic sperm sorting (MFSS) is increasingly used in infertility treatments due to its user-friendliness.
- Its effectiveness, especially in patients with suboptimal sperm parameters, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of MFSS and the traditional swim-up (SU) technique.
- To evaluate their impact on sperm quality, including DNA integrity and oxygen radical levels.
Main Methods:
- Sperm samples from normozoospermic and non-normozoospermic men were processed using both MFSS and SU.
- Sperm concentration, motility, morphology, DNA integrity, acrosomal status, and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between MFSS and SU in normozoospermic men.
- In non-normozoospermic men, MFSS showed a significantly lower percentage of DNA-fragmented sperm compared to SU (5.69% vs. 10.0%, p=0.027).
Conclusions:
- MFSS is a practical technique yielding good results but does not significantly outperform SU overall.
- MFSS's primary advantage lies in reducing sperm DNA fragmentation in patients with abnormal sperm analysis.
