Abstract
In order to provide better diagnosis and treatment of infertility and to develop better contraceptive methods, more needs to be learned about how sperm move through the female reproductive tract. Crucial phases of mammalian sperm transport include passage through the cervix and uterotubal junction, storage in the oviductal sperm storage reservoir, release from the reservoir, and location of the egg. There is some evidence for the existence of special passageways for sperm in the cervix, but this needs to be demonstrated and the mechanism of guiding sperm through the cervix needs to be elucidated. Passage of sperm through the uterotubal junction requires sperm to have certain proteins, but how these proteins function is not known. To release themselves from the oviductal storage reservoir, sperm undergo motility hyperactivation; however, the process is not understood. Finally, chemotactic agents emanating from the vicinity of the egg may modulate sperm flagellar movement; however, little is known about how motility is regulated and how changes in flagellar beat patterns enable sperm to reach the egg. There are three main areas in which bioengineers can provide crucial help for elucidating these mysteries: (1) by developing a method for measuring and comparing sperm flagellar bending patterns, (2) by improving optical methods for envisioning the movement of sperm within the female reproductive tract, and (3) by developing chambers that mimic the physical environment of the tract so that molecular mechanisms that regulate sperm movement can be identified.
Published Version
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