Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Sperm Motility”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Predictive factors for motile sperm recovery using testicular biopsy in nonobstructive azoospermic patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to assess the predictive value of hormone values, histological analysis for the finding of motile spermatozoa on testicular biopsy in nonobstructive azoospermia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone, prolactin and total testosterone values in 50 patients undergoing testicular biopsy prior to ICSI. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Recovery was successful in 28 cases, and motile spermatozoa were retrieved in 7. Significant differences were detected between presence of motile spermatozoa and absence of spermatozoa in terms of FSH values (P = 0.003, one-way ANOVA). The other variables did not present statistical differences. A receiver operating characteristic curve showed that FSH levels below 17.00 IU/L were predictive of motile spermatozoa recovery. CONCLUSIONS: FSH values can serve as a predictive factor for the recovery of motile spermatozoa using biopsy in azoospermic patients. On the other hand, histological analysis and other hormone values were not helpful in the prediction of motile sperm.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1999

Substantial decrease of heat-shock protein 90 precedes the decline of sperm motility during cooling of boar spermatozoa.

The decline in boar semen quality after cryopreservation may be attributed to changes in intracellular proteins. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the change of protein profiles in boar spermatozoa during the process of cooling and after cryopreservation. A total of 9 sexually mature boars (mean age = 25.5+/-12.3 mo) was used. Samples for protein analysis were collected before chilling, after cooling to 15 degrees C, after cooling to 5 degrees C, following thawing after freezing to -100 degrees C, and following thawing after 1 wk of cryopreservation at -196 degrees C. Semen characteristics evaluated included progressive motility and the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa. Total proteins from 5x10(6) spermatozoa were separated and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The results revealed that there was a substantial decrease of a 90 kDa protein in the frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Western blot analysis demonstrated that this protein was 90 kDa heat-shock protein (HSP90). Time course study showed that the decrease of HSP90 in spermatozoa initially occurred in the first hour during cooling to 5 degrees C. When compared with the fresh spermatozoa before chilling, there was a 64% decrease of HSP90 in spermatozoa after cooling to 5 degrees C. However, the motility and percentage of normal spermatozoa did not significantly decrease during this period of treatment. Both declined substantially as the semen was thawed after freezing from -100 degrees C. The results indicated that the decrease of HSP90 precedes the decline of semen characteristics. The length of time between a decrease of HSP90 and the decline in sperm motility was estimated to be 2 to 3 h. Taken together, the above results suggested that a substantial decrease of HSP90 might be associated with a decline in sperm motility during cooling of boar spermatozoa.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Summarizing the motion of self-propelled cells: applications to sperm motility.

Proper characterization of the motion of spermatozoa is an important prerequisite for interpreting differences in sperm motility that might arise from exposure to toxicants. Patterns of sperm movement can be extremely complex. On the basis of an exponential model that relates the discretely approximated curvilinear velocity to the tracking rate, we develop a statistic that indexes the predictability of the path for individual sperm. We summarize the path of each sperm using this and two other statistics: (1) the path displacement velocity and (2) linearity of movement. We apply the method to a set of rat sperm tracks representative of both normal and abnormal motion characteristics.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

ATP content and sperm motility of extended bovine semen under different storage conditions.

The effects of incubation temperature (+20 degrees C vs +35 degrees C) and media type on the ATP content and motility of spermatozoa were determined in fresh bovine semen in order to develop a method for assaying post-thaw quality. Semen was obtained from 3 bulls at 2 occasions. The spermatozoa were washed using a Ficoll-containing medium before being resuspended in each of 4 different media (I. 0.9% NaCl; II. Tris-buffer solution; III. seminal plasma; IV. seminal plasma+Tris-buffer solution) and incubated for 6 h. The least-squares means for ATP content were higher (p less than or equal to 0.05) at +20 degrees C than +35 degrees C for all media except no. I. By contrast, the least-squares means for sperm motility were higher (p less than or equal to 0.05) at +35 degrees C than at +20 degrees C in media II and III. A decrease over time in ATP content and motility at both temperatures was also observed. The single most important factor responsible for changes in ATP content and sperm motility was the temperature and the medium, respectively.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2004

Acclimation of sperm motility apparatus in seawater-acclimated euryhaline tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus.

Euryhaline tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus can reproduce in freshwater and in seawater. Regulation of sperm motility appears to be modulated during acclimation of the fish from freshwater to seawater, being independent of extracellular Ca2+ in freshwater and dependent on extracellular Ca2+ in seawater. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, sperm of seawater-acclimated tilapia (SWT) showed motility even in a hypertonic environment, whereas sperm of freshwater-acclimated tilapia (FWT) were not motile. The Ca2+ indicator, fluo-3, revealed that intracellular Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, of SWT sperm increased only in the presence of extracellular Ca(2+) in hypotonic or hypertonic conditions. Since the increased [Ca2+]i in FWT sperm occurred under hypotonic conditions via intracellular Ca2+ stores, it is likely that tilapia modulate their source of increasing [Ca2+]i from intracellular stores (in FWT sperm) to extracellular stores (in SWT sperm). Experiments using demembranated sperm revealed that Ca2+ is necessary for activation of motility, suggesting that Ca2+ plays a key role in motility regulation in SWT sperm. We detected three phosphoproteins associated with the activation of sperm motility. Serine and threonine residues of two proteins of 15 kDa and 18 kDa became dephosphorylated in hypotonic conditions but remained phosphorylated in hypertonic conditions, suggesting that these protein phosphorylations were not only related to motility activation under hypertonic conditions but also resistant to osmotic pressure. The threonine residue(s) of a 41 kDa protein was also phosphorylated in dry sperm, even in FWT sperm in motility-feasible hypotonic conditions. It is likely that acclimation of the motility apparatus is associated with modulation of the flow of Ca2+ to increase [Ca2+]i and protein phosphorylation.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed1979

Factors affecting sperm motility. I. In vitro change in motility with time after ejaculation.

Semen specimens from 33 donors were analyzed intermittently between 1 and 24 hours after ejaculation. Motility was determined objectively by analyzing still-camera photomicrographs taken with the aid of the new multiple exposure photography (MEP) technique, from which the following information was obtained: the percentage of motile spermatozoa, the average velocity and frequency distribution of spermatozoal velocities, and index of motility as well as sperm concentration. From curves drawn for each of the 33 analyzed specimens, these conclusions were drawn: 1. The percentage of motile spermatozoa decreases progressively, beginning 1 hour after ejaculation, at a rate of about 5% to 10%/hour. 2. In the majority of cases, sperm velocity increases for the first 4 hours and then decreases gradually. 3. There is no unique pattern of sperm motility and velocity with time for all specimens, especially during the first 4 hours. However, three typical curves of motility change were found during the first 4 hours: increase in motility, moderate decline in motility, and rapid loss of motility. 4. The frequency distribution of velocities of motile spermatozoa revealed typical normal curves at all times, but these curves became flatter as time elapsed. An explanation for these divergent patterns and the possible role of these findings in some physiologic and clinical problems are discussed.

Ejaculation↗
PubMed1988

Hamster sperm motility transformation during development of hyperactivation in vitro and epididymal maturation.

The transformation of hamster sperm motility during capacitation in vitro and during maturation in the caudal epididymis was analyzed and compared using videomicrography. Sperm recovered from the distal portion of the caudal epididymis, as well as ejaculated sperm recovered from the uterus exhibited low amplitude, planar flagellar beating. By 3 hr of incubation under capacitating conditions, the caudal epididymal sperm were swimming in helical patterns apparently produced by significantly increased acuteness of flagellar bending and by torsion seen as abrupt, periodic turning of the head. By 4 hr, most sperm were hyperactivated, swimming in circles resulting from asymmetrical, planar flagellar bending that was significantly more acute than the preceding patterns. When motility parameters of fresh sperm were compared with those of sperm swimming in the transitional helical pattern and with hyperactivated sperm, transitional sperm had significantly higher net and average path velocities than the others, indicating that they covered space at the greatest rate. This suggests that the transitional phase plays an important role in sperm transport. Sperm recovered from the proximal region of the caudal epididymis, near the corpus, swam in either the helical or hyperactivated patterns, or a mixture of the two. The means of their flagellar curvature ratios and linear indices were intermediate between helical and hyperactivated mean values. Thus, sperm undergoing final maturation in the caudal epididymis reverse the pattern of development of hyperactivation. Also, the development of hyperactivated motility must therefore entail induction of a preexisting potential for flagellar movement, rather than a maturational process.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1993

Origin of a sperm motility inhibitor from boar seminal plasma.

We have investigated the origin of the sperm motility inhibitor (SPMI) from boar seminal plasma. SPMI was measured by its capacity to inhibit the motility of demembranated spermatozoa and by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among the various reproductive and now reproductive tissues and fluids tested, only the seminal vesicle fluid and seminal plasma contained significant amounts of SPMI biological activity and SPMI antigen. Like other seminal vesicle fluid proteins, SPMI is diluted 6- to 8-fold upon ejaculation. By immunohistochemical detection at the light microscope with antibodies obtained from rabbits immunized with SPMI purified from boar seminal plasma, SPMI was found in the cytosol and/or on the plasma membrane bordering the lumen of the seminal vesicles. At the electron microscope level, SPMI appeared to be present only on the surface of the secretory cells. The data indicate that SPMI originates from a single tissue, the seminal vesicle, and suggest that only the mature form present on the luminal surface of the gland can react with the antibody generated from rabbits immunized with the secreted form of SPMI.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1999

The maturation of sperm motility in the epididymis and vas deferens of the vervet monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops.

Among the diverse facets of sperm maturation, changes in motility are conspicuous and hence studies of sperm kinematics might provide good indices for sperm maturation. Accordingly, the maturation of sperm motility in the epididymis and vas deferens of the vervet monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops, was assessed using a computer-aided sperm motility analysis system. The results revealed clear trends in the development of both sperm motility per se and in the movement characteristics of motile spermatozoa from different regions of the epididymis, the vas deferens and the ejaculate, reflecting maturational changes associated with the attainment of functional motility and fertility. Motion of spermatozoa from the caput epididymis was sluggish and irregular. As the spermatozoa moved through the corpus epididymis, motility increased sharply, and continued to improve through the cauda epididymis and vas deferens. Despite the high proportion of motile cells, full maturation of motion capabilities was not completed in spermatozoa from the corpus epididymis. Only once spermatozoa had reached the cauda epididymis and vas deferens did they attain their full vigour, and swam rapidly (greater VCL, VSL and VAP) with straightline trajectories (greater LIN, WOB and STR; lower ALH, MAD and CURV). After acquiring their maximal percentage motility and progressive velocity in the cauda epididymis and vas deferens, a slight decline in motility and vigour occurred in ejaculated spermatozoa, and was possibly associated with the ageing of stored spermatozoa. The results from this investigation have revealed clear trends in the maturation of the motility of vervet monkey spermatozoa during their transit through the epididymis and vas deferens and final emergence in the ejaculate, and have provided crucial baseline information on the reproductive physiology of this potentially valuable biomedical model to serve as a reference for future studies in reproductive toxicology.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cyclic GMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, sildenafil, stimulates human sperm motility and capacitation but not acrosome reaction.

Capacitation is the series of transformations that spermatozoa undergo in the female genital tract in order to bind to the zona pellucida, initiate the acrosome reaction, and fertilize an egg. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) plays an important role in this process and its levels are regulated by 2 key enzymes, adenylyl cyclase and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE), the latter being involved in cAMP degradation. Evidence was provided for the involvement of PDE in sperm motility and capacitation. Of the 10 gene families of PDE that exist in mammalian tissues, the calcium-calmodulin-dependent (type 1) and the cAMP-specific (type 4) have been found in human spermatozoa. Using sildenafil, we investigated a highly potent cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specific PDE (type 5) inhibitor and whether this PDE is present in human spermatozoa and is involved in sperm functions. Sildenafil inhibited PDE activity of Percoll-washed spermatozoa with an IC50 of 97+/-3 and 33+/-3 microM when cAMP and cGMP, respectively, were used as substrates. Because the IC50 of sildenafil obtained for PDE type 5 is much lower (2 to 6 nM) than that obtained with sperm PDE, the data suggest that PDE type 5 represents only a small fraction of the whole PDE activity of spermatozoa. Sildenafil causes dose-dependent increases in sperm cAMP levels and capacitation, which are associated with an increase in the levels of tyrosine phosphorylation of 2 fibrous sheath proteins (p105/81). Sperm velocity, amplitude of lateral head displacement, and hyperactivation were increased at 30-180 minutes. Sildenafil did not trigger the acrosome reaction in capacitated spermatozoa. These results suggest that under our experimental conditions, sildenafil triggers human sperm motility and capacitation, probably via its inhibitory action on PDE activity other than type 5 with a resultant rise in cAMP levels.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1996

Cholesterol and phospholipid levels of washed and percoll gradient centrifuged mouse sperm: presence of lipids possessing inhibitory effects on sperm motility.

Levels of DNA, cholesterol, and phospholipids of mouse caudal epididymal and vas deferens sperm that were processed through simple washing and Percoll gradient centrifugation were measured. The DNA and cholesterol contents of washed sperm and Percoll gradient centrifuged (PGC) sperm (DNA = 3.6 +/- 0.3 pg/sperm and 3.4 +/- 0.3 pg/sperm, respectively; cholesterol = 0.219 +/- 0.057 nmole/microgram DNA and 0.224 +/- 0.030 nmole/microgram DNA, respectively, for washed and PGC sperm) were not significantly different from each other; however, the phospholipid level of PGC sperm was only one half of that of washed sperm (0.315 +/- 0.071 nmole/microgram DNA versus 0.720 +/- 0.075 nmole/microgram DNA, respectively). The presence of 0.3% bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the culture medium used in sperm washing did not change the cholesterol and phospholipid contents of washed sperm. Similarly, the cholesterol and phospholipid levels of washed sperm and PGC sperm that were further incubated in BSA-containing medium for 30 min remained the same. Interestingly, substantial amounts of lipids, as determined by the cholesterol and phospholipid levels, were released into the supernatants of the sperm washes, and sperm needed to be washed at least twice to ensure their stable levels of cholesterol and phospholipids. The lipid mixture in the first sperm wash supernatant was shown to have inhibitory effects on PGC sperm motility.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Factors influencing maintenance of sperm motility during in vitro processing.

Addition of serum to culture medium during washing of sperm was shown to significantly improve sperm motility upon subsequent 24-hour incubation, distinct from the beneficial effects of adding serum after washing. Commercial sources of human and bovine albumen tested did not preserve motility as well as serum, but addition to serum showed that the lesser effect was probably due to toxic contaminants. One of the most commonly available disposable plastic syringes was found to be markedly toxic to sperm. The materials found to have sperm toxicity also manifested toxicity to mouse embryos. These findings show that a similar degree of caution is advisable in testing of materials contacting sperm in vitro to that which has become standard practice for culture of human embryos.

Blood↗
PubMed2002

Isolation and properties of Gas8, a growth arrest-specific gene regulated during male gametogenesis to produce a protein associated with the sperm motility apparatus.

Growth arrest-specific (Gas) genes are expressed during serum starvation or contact inhibition of cells grown in culture. Here we report the isolation and characterization of Gas8, a novel gene identified on the basis of its growth arrest-specific expression in murine fibroblasts. We show that production of Gas8 mRNA and protein occurs in adult mice predominantly in the testes, where expression is regulated during postmeiotic development of male gametocytes. Whereas a low level of Gas8 mRNA was detected by Northern blotting in testes of murine male neonates and young adolescents, Gas8 mRNA increased rapidly postmeiotically. In adult males, both Gas8 mRNA and protein reached steady state levels in testes that were 10-fold higher than in other tissues. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that Gas8 protein accumulates in gametocytes as they approach the lumen of seminiferous tubules and is localized to the cytoplasm of round spermatids, the tails of elongating spermatids, and mature spermatid tail bundles protruding into the lumen; in epididymal spermatozoa Gas8 protein was present in the flagella. However, premeiotic murine gametocytes lacked detectable Gas8 protein, as did seminiferous tubules in biopsy specimens from seven human males having cytological evidence of non-obstructive azoospermia secondary to Sertoli cell-only syndrome. Our findings, which associate Gas8 production developmentally with the later stages of spermatogenesis and spatially with the sperm motility apparatus, collectively suggest that this growth arrest-specific gene product may have a role in sperm motility. This postulated role for Gas8 is supported by our observation that highly localized production of Gas8 protein occurs also in the cilia of epithelial cells lining pulmonary bronchi and fallopian tubes and by the flagellar association of a Trypanosoma brucei ortholog of Gas8.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Hyaluronic acid (Sperm Select) improves retention of sperm motility and velocity in normospermic and oligospermic specimens.

The effects of Sperm Select (Pharmacia AB, Uppsala, Sweden), a hyaluronic acid medium, on the motility and membrane integrity properties of sperm were studied. In 15 normospermic specimens after overnight incubation, the motility parameters in the control versus the Sperm Select group were as follows (mean +/- SEM): motility, 18.8% +/- 2.8% versus 27.4% +/- 2.9%; velocity, 21.5 +/- 2.4 versus 27.2 +/- 2.2 microns/s; linearity, 3.8 +/- 0.3 versus 4.4 +/- 0.2; lateral head displacement, 1.5 +/- 0.2 versus 1.9 +/- 0.1 microns; and tail beat/cross frequency, 8.8 +/- 1.3 versus 10.8 +/- 1.4 Hz. The density of motile sperm was 10.8 +/- 2.3 versus 18.5 +/- 2.5 X 10(6) sperm/mL. Finally, the velocity coefficient, the multiple of the sperm motility and linear velocity, was 4.6 +/- 1.1 versus 8.1 +/- 1.4. However, we found no Sperm Select related differences when testing sperm membrane integrity with hypoosmotic swelling and supravital staining. Thus, Sperm Select improves the retention of sperm motility (most prominently velocity) apparently due to a direct action of hyaluronic acid on sperm metabolism or contractility rather than to preservation of sperm membrane integrity. In 20 oligospermic specimens, Sperm Select caused similar improvements in sperm motility, and the duration of motility could be predicted from the degree of enhancement in sperm velocity after short-term Sperm Select exposure. A modified Sperm Select protocol is described that further increases motile sperm yield without a centrifugation step.

Bisbenzimidazole↗
PubMed1986

Effects of gossypol on human and monkey sperm motility in vitro.

The effects of gossypol acetic acid on human and monkey sperm motility in vitro were studied by using multiexposure photography technique. Human and monkey spermatozoa were inhibited by gossypol to different degrees. Monkey sperm were absolutely immotile within 15 min after 50 microM of gossypol was added, but motility of human spermatozoa was not completely suppressed by gossypol even at the highest concentration used and longest duration of exposure.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of peritoneal fluid on sperm motility parameters in women with endometriosis.

To clarify the effect of peritoneal fluids (PF) of women with various stages of endometriosis on sperm motility, we utilized computer-aides sperm analysis (CASA) to analyze sperm movement characteristics. PF was collected in the early follicular phase (days 4-8) of the menstrual cycle from 48 women undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy. Only sperm samples having normal sperm parameters were chosen for study. Swim-up separation was performed for 1 h at 37 degrees C. Sperm suspension was mixed at a ratio of 1:1 with each of the following four groups: group 1, human tubal fluid (HTF) with 10% fetal bovine serum (control), group 2, normal PF (n = 16); group 3, minimal or mild endometriosis PF (n = 16); and group 4, moderate or severe endometriosis PF (n = 16). The mixtures were analyzed at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 24 h of co-incubation using the CASA system. At the end of the 24 h incubation, Supravital staining of sperm was done to check the viability of sperm in each group. Only time (F = 126.6, p < .001) has a significant effect on sperm motion parameters. At 6 h, sperm velocity (mean curvilinear velocity and mean straight line velocity) of the PF groups was significantly greater than that of the control, but there was no significant difference between each PF group. At 24 h, the PF groups maintained 50% of initial sperm viability, compared with 13% of initial viability in the control group (p < .001). There was no adverse effect of PF in patients with endometriosis on sperm motion parameters.

Ascitic Fluid↗
PubMed2000

Sperm motility is dependent on a unique isoform of the Na,K-ATPase.

The Na,K-ATPase, a member of the P-type ATPases, is composed of two subunits, alpha and beta, and is responsible for translocating Na(+) out of the cell and K(+) into the cell using the energy of hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP. The electrochemical gradient it generates is necessary for many cellular functions, including establishment of the plasma membrane potential and transport of sugars and ions in and out of the cell. Families of isoforms for both the alpha and beta subunits have been identified, and specific functional roles for individual isoforms are just beginning to emerge. The alpha4 isoform is the most recently identified Na, K-ATPase alpha isoform, and its expression has been found only in testis. Here we show that expression of the alpha4 isoform in testis is localized to spermatozoa and that inhibition of this isoform alone eliminates sperm motility. These data describe for the first time a biological function for the alpha4 isoform of the Na,K-ATPase, revealing a critical role for this isoform in sperm motility.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recovery of normal testicular ultrastructure and sperm motility after cessation of gossypol treatment in rats.

This study evaluates the reversibility of the effects of gossypol on testicular ultrastructure and the motility of epididymal spermatozoa. Adult male rats were treated 6 days weekly with the vehicle alone (Group A), or with 10 (Group B) or 20 (Group C) mg/kg of gossypol for 12 weeks, and then sacrificed six or 12 weeks after cessation of treatment. Although epididymal spermatozoa in Groups B and C were 100% immotile after gossypol treatment, little evidence of abnormality could be detected with the light microscope in the seminiferous tubules or interstitium. By contrast, at the ultrastructural level, there were demonstrable pathognomonic defects in the mitochondrial sheath and axonemes of step 18 and 19 spermatids which were identical to those reported earlier (Hoffer, 1983). In addition, an ultrastructural defect in the flagella of late testicular spermatozoa is described for the first time. This defect consists of an indentation, or constriction, of the mitochondrial sheath at outer dense fibers (ODFs) 1, 2, and 9, resulting in a separation of these 3 ODFs from the other fibers. This defect, though visible in an earlier ultrastructural study (Hoffer, 1983), was not described. In Group B rats allowed to recover from gossypol treatment, ultrastructural defects in step 18 and 19 spermatids could not be detected at six or at 12 weeks after cessation of treatment, and sperm motility also did not differ significantly from controls by the end of either recovery period. In Group C rats, sperm motility returned to the normal range within six weeks after treatment ended, but a few morphological defects in the midpiece and axoneme of late spermatids could still be detected with the electron microscope.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗