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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on February 15, 2009
Human Reproduction 2009 24(6):1288-1295; doi:10.1093/humrep/dep017
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Coiled sperm from infertile patients: characteristics, associated factors and biological implication

C.H. Yeung1,4, F. Tüttelmann1,2, M. Bergmann3, V. Nordhoff1, E. Vorona1 and Trevor G. Cooper1

1 Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University of Münster, Domagkstrasse 11, D48149 Münster, Germany 2 Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Germany 3 Institute of Veterinary-Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Giessen, Germany

4 Correspondence address. E-mail: ChingHei.Yeung{at}ukmuenster.de

BACKGROUND: There is no systematic study on coiled sperm in semen, although they are commonly observed. This work characterizes coiled sperm in infertile men to understand the clinical implications and investigate the possible cause by osmotic swelling.

METHODS: Coiled sperm in semen from 439 infertile patients were quantified and their ultrastructure examined by electron microscopy. Hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) and demembranation tests were performed to elucidate the nature of the coiling.

RESULTS: Semen from patients contained overall 3% of sperm with head-in-coil (HIC) and 8% other coiled forms, with 12% of patients having 20% or more such sperm. The percentage of coiled sperm (but not HIC) was correlated with age (R = 0.26, P = 0.003) and the epididymal secretory marker neutral {alpha}-glucosidase (R = 0.16, P < 0.001), and associated with heavy smoking and varicocele. Electron microscopy revealed coiling of tail filaments within the plasma membrane, resembling HOS. Some seminal coiled sperm and most sperm freshly coiled upon HOS could be opened by demembranation, while those that could not be opened were probably fixed in position by oxidation, which occurred more frequently in patients than semen donors.

CONCLUSIONS: Sperm coiling in semen is common and independent of sperm quantity or hormonal status. Whereas HIC may have a genetic background, other coiled forms may be associated with a hostile endogenous milieu in the epididymis that causes swelling.

Key words: semen analysis/sperm swelling/sperm coiling/infertile men/varicocele

Submitted on October 27, 2008; resubmitted on December 15, 2008; accepted on January 13, 2009.


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