Comparación de 2 métodos de selección espermática sobre la fragmentación del ADN y el potencial de membrana mitocondrial de los espermatozoides humanos: en busca del gameto de oro

Abstract

IntroductionTo select good-quality sperm for assisted reproductive technology procedures, the best spermatozoa should be elicited. The aim of this study is to compare the impact of sperm selection on human sperm DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial membrane potential by means of density gradient and swim-up techniques. Materials and methodsConventional and functional semen parameters (mitochondrial membrane potential and plasma membrane integrity) in sperm selected by density gradient and swim-up techniques in 14 semen samples were evaluated. ResultsIn the selected neat semen samples, the number of sperm recovered was lower using swim-up as compared to density gradients. By contrast, an increase in progressive motility was observed compared with the initial sample, with no statistically significant difference between both techniques. On the other hand, the swim-up technique was shown to decrease the amount of non-progressive motile sperm recovered, whereas the density gradient technique allowed for a better recovery of the total motile sperm selected. Finally, an increase in the proportion of cells with higher mitochondrial membrane potential and lower DNA fragmentation index was observed. ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that sperm selection using the swim-up technique allows for better-quality sperm to be recovered, with a higher sperm cell membrane potential and lower DNA fragmentation. The use of this method is therefore recommended prior to artificial insemination or in vitro fertilisation procedures.