Human Reproduction, Vol 12, 1949-1954, Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press
M Sbracia, J Grasso, N Sayme, J Stronk and G Huszar
We have demonstrated previously that hyaluronic acid (HA) improves the
velocity and the retention of motility in freshly ejaculated human
spermatozoa. In the present work, we examined the effect of HA on
cryopreserved/ thawed spermatozoa in four paradigms: (i) effect of HA on
sperm motility and velocity in semen; (ii) stabilizing effect of HA after 4
h of incubation when the decline of sperm motility is already detectable;
(iii) the duration of improved motility after the separation of spermatozoa
from HA by Percoll gradient centrifugation; and (iv) motility of sperm
cryopreserved in the presence of HA. HA improved the retention of sperm
motility in thawed spermatozoa. Indeed, the motility values after 30 h were
approximately 100% higher in the HA compared with the control samples. This
effect of HA was also evident in the stabilization of spermatozoa with
already declining motility. After removal of the HA from the incubation
medium, significantly increased motility in the HA-exposed spermatozoa was
still detectable for at least 4 h. Cryopreservation of spermatozoa in the
presence of HA did not improve the recovery of motility. The data indicate
that HA improves the retention of motility of cryopreserved/thawed
spermatozoa, even after the removal of HA from the incubation medium. The
utilization of HA will probably prove beneficial in assisted reproduction:
in intrauterine insemination and in in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the
extended sperm motility and velocity will enhance the fertilizing
efficiency; in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the improved
motility will facilitate the identification of viable spermatozoa. Because
HA is a physiological component of the cumulus and of the female and male
reproductive tracts, administration of HA should not cause ethical
concerns.
ARTICLES
Hyaluronic acid substantially increases the retention of motility in cryopreserved/thawed human spermatozoa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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