The combination of laser tweezers, fluorescent imaging, and real-time automated tracking and trapping (RATTS) can measure sperm swimming speed and swimming force simultaneously with mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). This approach is used to study the roles of two sources of ATP in sperm motility: oxidative phosphorylation, which occurs in the mitochondria located in the sperm midpiece and...

Background: Vitamin E is believed to be the primary component of the antioxidant system in spermatozoa. There is a relationship between activity of these antioxidant and function of sperm. Vitamins E and C which are belong to non-enzymatic antioxidant are used as a supplemented drug to improve sperm quality and male fertility. The present study was carried out to investigate the positive effect...

is believed to occur during the early stages of gamete fusion, and thus before the sperm tail is incorporated into the oocyte. Thus, our figure represents a specific temporal stage of fertilization and not the entire sequence of events. It would, therefore, be inaccurate and misleading to have shown the sperm tail incorporated into the oocyte at this stage. While we are content with the fact th...

This paper presents data associated with the research article entitled "Targeted downregulation of s36 protein unearths its cardinal role in chorion biogenesis and architecture during Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis" [1]. Drosophila chorion is produced by epithelial follicle cells and one of its functional serving role is egg fertilization through the micropyle, a specialized narrow channel a...

BACKGROUND Ketamine, an injectable anesthetic in human and animal medicine, is also a recreational drug used by young adults. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of ketamine on membrane integrity, DNA fragmentation and sperm parameters in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective study was conducted on 40 males with normal semen samples over one month (August 2012). Subjects...

In the letter by Brenker et al. (1), the authors assessed actions of various steroids toward the human calcium channel of sperm (CatSper). The experiments, carried out with calcium imaging, are minimally supplemented by electrophysiology. The authors show that all tested steroids activate CatSper with different efficiencies. However, the plant triterpenoids pristimerin and lupeol fail to interf...

Abstract Background Cyclophosphamide (CP) is an anti-neoplastic alkylating agent that extensively used in different chemotherapy regimens. Adverse effects on the reproductive system, especially spermatogenesis, are one of most important side this drug. It medically essential to use complementary and alternative drugs. Herbal drugs have long been as a treatment. Our purpose was study effect hydr...

In the last years, digital image processing and analysis are used for computer assisted evaluation of semen quality with therapeutic goals or to estimate its fertility by means of spermatozoid motility and morphology. Sperm morphology is assessed routinely as part of standard laboratory analysis in the diagnosis of human male infertility. Nowadays assessments of sperm morphology are mostly done...

BACKGROUND The ubiquitous use of phthalate esters in plastics, personal care products and food packaging materials results in widespread general population exposure. In this report, we extend our preliminary study on the relationship between urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and sperm DNA damage among a larger sample of men and include measurements of mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)...

BACKGROUND Aggressive immobilization of sperm prior to ICSI significantly improves fertilization rates, but the mechanism of this effect is not yet clear. This study was performed in order to assess the characteristics of mechanically immobilized human sperm by transmission electron microscope (TEM). METHODS Sperm obtained from ejaculated semen samples from three different donors were immobil...