Abstract
Research QuestionIs Raman spectroscopy an efficient and accurate method to detect sperm chromosome balance state by DNA content differences?DesignSemen samples were provided by diploid healthy men, and the analysis parameters met the current World Health Organization standards. The DNA content was assessed by analysis of the corresponding spectra obtained from a laser confocal Raman spectroscope. The sperm sex chromosome information was obtained by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Comparative analysis was performed between FISH results and Raman spectral analysis results.ResultsDifferent parts of the sperm head showed different spectral signal intensities, which indicated that there were different chemical components. Standard principal component analysis (PCA) can preliminarily classify sperm with different DNA contents into two groups. Further analysis showed that there were significant differences in the 785 DNA backbone peaks and 714–1,162 cm−1 DNA skeleton regions among sperm with different DNA contents. The peak and regional peak of the DNA skeleton of X sperm were significantly higher than those of Y sperm (X vs. Y, p < 0.05). The above sperm types were confirmed by FISH. ROC curve analysis shows that there is a correlation between the Raman spectrum data and FISH results.ConclusionRaman spectroscopy can identify X and Y sperms by analyzing the DNA content difference. However, the accuracy of the detection still needs to be improved. Nevertheless, Raman spectroscopy has a potential application value in the field of sperm aneuploidy detection and may even be used as a non-invasive predictor of sperm aneuploid state in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A).
Highlights
Spermatogenesis is a highly complex biological process in which spermatogonia undergo two meioses to produce sperm cells and transform into mature sperm through a series of nuclear and organelle changes (De Jonge and Barratt, 2006)
Our results suggest Raman spectroscopy has a broad clinical application prospect in non-invasive sperm detection
We compared the Raman spectra of different parts of the human sperm head
Summary
Spermatogenesis is a highly complex biological process in which spermatogonia undergo two meioses to produce sperm cells and transform into mature sperm through a series of nuclear and organelle changes (De Jonge and Barratt, 2006). In the process of spermatogenesis, if once meiosis is wrong, the normal chromosome balance changes, which leads to sperm aneuploidy (Rieger, 1968; McFeely, 1993). The non-invasive aneuploidy detection of gametes, especially sperm, may be an important way to improve the efficiency of assisted reproduction (Ranjith et al, 2014). The existing FISH and NGS technologies can detect the aneuploidy of single sperm, the sperm which is detected can no longer be used in ART. FISH detection only estimates the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities, which cannot guarantee the normal chromosomes of sperm used in ART, and there is no non-invasive technology to detect sperm aneuploidy (Patassini et al, 2013). There is an urgent need for a non-invasive, efficient, and sensitive technique to directly assess sperm aneuploidy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
