INTERACTION BETWEEN HYALURONIC ACID SEMI-INTERPENETRATED HYDROGEL WITH BULL SPERMATOZOA: STUDIES OF SPERM ATTACHMENT-RELEASE AND SPERM QUALITY

BLOIS D; LIAUDAT AC; CAPELLA V; MORILLA G; RIVERO, REBECA E.; BROGLIA M; BARBERO, CÉSAR A.; RODRIGUEZ, NANCY; BOSCH, PABLO; RIVAROLA, CLAUDIA R.

Advanced Materials Interfaces

Wiley Online Library

Año: 2021

The study of living systems in contact with biocompatible synthetic hydrogels is a developing area. Our group was the first to propose the use of polymeric materials to accomplish sperm selection process by attachment of bull sperm to hydrogel surfaces, being this, a crucial step for successful assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). Surfaces based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels (PNIPAM) and ionic and neutral copolymers are synthetized. Their physicochemical properties in aqueous and culture medium are related to the percentage of attachment and subsequent release of bull spermatozoa from the hydrogel surface. High attaching capacity (30-45%) of sperm on cationic and neutral surfaces is mainly observed, however, sperm detachment from the hydrogel using traditional induction processes (i.e., sperm capacitation) is not significant (