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Gram staining applied to human spermatozoa: a simple method for studying chromatin condensation status
A Radicioni1, A M Morgia, E Paris
1Laboratory of Seminology and Immunology of Reproduction, Institute of 5th Medical Clinic, University "La Sapienza," Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Gram staining applied to human spermatozoa from fertile donors is described. The stain revealed populations of Gram-positive and Gram-negative spermatozoa. Data showed a significant and progressive decrease in the percentage of Gram-positive spermatozoa at different times during the chromatin decondensation procedure (SDS-BSA and SDS-EDTA). No significant correlation could be found between Gram staining and other functional tests used for spermatozoa; only the aniline blue staining test showed a poor correlation. Our study demonstrates that normal spermatozoa with regular chromatin condensation appear Gram-positive, while spermatozoa with altered chromatin condensation appear Gram-negative.