BACKGROUND An embryo's ability to grow and implant can be improved by selection of a normal spermatozoon with a vacuole-free head. However, large vacuoles in spermatozoa have yet to be fully characterized. The present study aimed to determine whether these vacuoles are of nuclear, membrane and/or acrosomal origin. METHODS We studied 15 infertile patients with differing sperm profiles. For eac...

The Brown Norway rat provides a useful model to study aging of the male reproductive tract because of the selective age-dependent pathological changes that are found in the testis, epididymis, and prostate. In the testis, there is a clear age-dependent decrease in both steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis. In the epididymis, some striking segment-specific changes occur at the histological and bi...

The objective of this study was to assess the utility of the magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) technique used for improving characteristics and quality of insemination doses by the elimination ofapoptotic rabbit spermatozoa from a heterospermic pool (Experiment 1) as well as from the ejaculates of individual bucks (Experiment 2). Superparamagnetic microbeads conjugated with annexin V elimi...

Spinal cord-injured men with ejaculation disorders can have children thanks to assisted reproduction techniques. Spermatozoa from these patients are usually obtained through vibratory stimulation, electroejaculation or by puncturing the seminal duct or the testicle. We present the first published case, as far as we are aware, of spermatozoa obtained through prostatic massage of a paraplegic pat...

Mammalian spermatozoa undergo selective movement along the isthmus of the oviduct to the ampulla during ovulation, which is a prerequisite for fertilization. The factor(s) that involves in selective spermatozoa movement is still unknown. In this study, we found that the oviductal epithelium in mouse ampulla expressed high levels of natriuretic peptide type C (NPPC) in the presence of ovulated o...

Prior to attempting the in vitro production of embryos in the Bryde's whale (Balaenoputera edeni), we investigated whether spermatozoa can retain the capacity for oocyte activation and pronucleus formation as well as chromosomal integrity under cryopreservation by using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) into mouse oocytes. Regardless of motility and viability, whale spermatozoa efficientl...

This experiment was designed to investigate leptin receptors (Ob-R and Ob-Rb) mRNA in ram epididymal spermatozoa by RT-PCR. Ten testes were obtained from abattoir and epididymal spermatozoa recovery was performed. To purify spermatozoa, motile sperm were isolated by the swim-up procedure. Total RNA was isolated from epididymal spermatozoa and placental cotyledon, as a positive control, and then...

Pentoxifylline (PF) is used to enhance motility of spermatozoa from infertile human subjects. We have previously shown that 0.45 mM PF improved capacitation of spermatozoa and fertilization of oocytes in vitro in hamsters. The present study was carried out to assess PF-induced changes in motility kinematics of hamster spermatozoa by a computer-aided sperm analyser (CASA) and determine the timin...

Hyperactivity, a form of sperm motility characterized by vigorous flagellar movements, has been proposed as essential for fertilization in mammals. The objective of the present study was to establish a method for inducing hyperactivity in vitro in boar spermatozoa and to define threshold values to differentiate between hyperactive and non-hyperactive spermatozoa by computer-assisted sperm analy...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether platelet-activating factor (PAF) content in human spermatozoa from an isolated population is related to fertilization and pregnancy outcome. DESIGN Prospective analysis of PAF content in human spermatozoa after a Percoll gradient wash and its relation to fertilization and pregnancy outcome. SETTING University-based reproductive genetics laboratory. SUBJECT(S...