A study of conditions required for prolonged storage of human spermatozoa preserved by air-drying technique

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different conditions of storage on the long-term storage of sperm samples that had been preserved by air-drying. Our observations indicate that storage at 0 °C provide the optimum storage condition for recovery of intact sperms after prolonged storage. Storage in ambient (room temperature) condition lead to sample deterioration due to excessive drying over prolonged period leading to complete deterioration of the sample and complete disintegration of the sperms on re-suspension. Sample storage at 8 °C in the short term up to 6 weeks does not adversely affect recovery of intact sperms; however, longer-term storage duration under this condition appears to lead to progressive deterioration of the sample and the sperm content although to a lesser degree compared to storage in ambient condition. Our observations indicate that prolonged storage of air-dried sperm require maintenance of a certain degree of moisture content if recovery of intact sperms is to be achieved. Storage at 0 °C provide optimal condition for such prolonged preservation. In an era of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the technique of air-drying preservation of sperm provides a cheap and attractive alternative to current cryo-preservation technique.