Biomaterial Database

Effect of sperm washing on levels of reactive oxygen species in semen. 1994

A Agarwal, and I Ikemoto, and K R Loughlin

Division of Urology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

The possibility was evaluated that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by human sperm is stimulated by the repeated cycles of centrifugation and resuspension involved in conventional sperm preparation. ROS generation by human sperm was monitored before and after the washing of sperm from 55 men (43 men with suspected subfertility and 12 normal volunteers). The ROS activity of all 55 specimens before washing was inversely correlated with original sperm motility (r = .278, p < .05). The mean level of ROS activity was significantly higher after washing than before processing (p < .05) for the 26 specimens with normal sperm motility, the 20 specimens with normal sperm morphology, and the 12 specimens with both normal motility and normal morphology. In contrast, the mean ROS level was not significantly changed after washing in the 27 specimens with poor sperm motility, the 16 specimens with abnormal sperm morphology, or the 13 specimens with both abnormal motility and abnormal morphology. It would appear that repeated centrifugation, resuspension, and vortexing cause excessive generation of ROS in the motile sperm population of the washed specimen. Washing procedures involving excessive manipulation of sperm may, in fact, cause the most harm to motile sperm, i.e., those that the method is trying to select. Procedures that minimize multiple centrifugation, resuspension, and vortexing steps should therefore be used for the preparation of semen specimens for assisted-reproduction techniques.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D002469	Cell Separation	Techniques for separating distinct populations of cells.	Cell Isolation,Cell Segregation,Isolation, Cell,Cell Isolations,Cell Segregations,Cell Separations,Isolations, Cell,Segregation, Cell,Segregations, Cell,Separation, Cell,Separations, Cell
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012661	Semen	The thick, yellowish-white, viscid fluid secretion of male reproductive organs discharged upon ejaculation. In addition to reproductive organ secretions, it contains SPERMATOZOA and their nutrient plasma.	Seminal Plasma,Plasma, Seminal
D013048	Specimen Handling	Procedures for collecting, preserving, and transporting of specimens sufficiently stable to provide accurate and precise results suitable for clinical interpretation.	Specimen Collection,Collection, Specimen,Collections, Specimen,Handling, Specimen,Handlings, Specimen,Specimen Collections,Specimen Handlings
D013081	Sperm Motility	Movement characteristics of SPERMATOZOA in a fresh specimen. It is measured as the percentage of sperms that are moving, and as the percentage of sperms with productive flagellar motion such as rapid, linear, and forward progression.	Motilities, Sperm,Motility, Sperm,Sperm Motilities
D013094	Spermatozoa	Mature male germ cells derived from SPERMATIDS. As spermatids move toward the lumen of the SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES, they undergo extensive structural changes including the loss of cytoplasm, condensation of CHROMATIN into the SPERM HEAD, formation of the ACROSOME cap, the SPERM MIDPIECE and the SPERM TAIL that provides motility.	Sperm,Spermatozoon,X-Bearing Sperm,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperm,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperm,Sperm, X-Bearing,Sperm, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Bearing,Sperm, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, X-Bearing,Sperms, X-Chromosome-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Bearing,Sperms, Y-Chromosome-Bearing,X Bearing Sperm,X Chromosome Bearing Sperm,X-Bearing Sperms,X-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms,Y Bearing Sperm,Y Chromosome Bearing Sperm,Y-Bearing Sperms,Y-Chromosome-Bearing Sperms
D017382	Reactive Oxygen Species	Molecules or ions formed by the incomplete one-electron reduction of oxygen. These reactive oxygen intermediates include SINGLET OXYGEN; SUPEROXIDES; PEROXIDES; HYDROXYL RADICAL; and HYPOCHLOROUS ACID. They contribute to the microbicidal activity of PHAGOCYTES, regulation of SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION and GENE EXPRESSION, and the oxidative damage to NUCLEIC ACIDS; PROTEINS; and LIPIDS.	Active Oxygen Species,Oxygen Radical,Oxygen Radicals,Pro-Oxidant,Reactive Oxygen Intermediates,Active Oxygen,Oxygen Species, Reactive,Pro-Oxidants,Oxygen, Active,Pro Oxidant,Pro Oxidants,Radical, Oxygen