Evaluation Of Motility Parameters And Sperm Functionality In Human Espermatozoa

ARIAS RODOLFO; GARCIA ALEJANDRA; DE BLAS, GERARDO ANDRÉS; JAIME VENTURA MARIA FERNANDA; HÄRTEL STEFFEN; MATA MARTINEZ ESPERANZA; MAYORGA LUIS S

San Luis

Congreso; XXXVII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2019

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Fertility has decreased in recent decades and 50% of cases are due to male factors. The spermogram is the only test that assesses seminal quality. However, it?s not enough to achieve a conclusive diagnosis. In this sense, in the Laboratory of TeleAnalysis and Translational Research (LaTIT in Spanish), in collaboration with the Center for Digital Assisted Spermograms (CEDAI in Spanish) and through the use of the software developed by CEDAI, we have performed computerized spermograms with high-quality standards and results from reproducibility. Considering this tool and the need to improve the diagnosis of male infertility, we set out to develop new tests to evaluate the functionality of sperm and thereby improve the diagnosis. In this project, we will add to the software and algorithm that evaluates sperm functionality through the classification of sperm that presents with hyperactive motility(MH in Spanish) as a marker of fertilizing capacity in procedures such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Hyperactivation is a particular and fundamental movement pattern for fertilization success since it allows sperm to detach from the wall of the oviduct, penetrate cumulus cells, and oocyte zona pellucida. For this, we worked with the vital and mobile fraction of the semen of normal donors according to the WHO criteria and were capacitated during different times (2, 4, and 6 hours). Using light-field microscopy, image sequences (50 fps) were taken and analyzed by the CEDAI software. From the data obtained by the software, we counted the cells that presented MH parameters (curvilinear speed (VCL)>150um / sec, linearity (LIN)7um). Finally, we visually evaluate the videos paying attention to the sperm that presented MH and correlate them with the results of the software. We observed a high correlation between the results obtained with the software and the MH pattern in the videos. Based on these results, our CEDAI-UChile collaborators are working on the development of the mathematical algorithm for the software to perform the automatic classification and quantification of sperm with MH.