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Bio-Design and Manufacturing  2024 Vol.7 No.5 P.687-700

http://doi.org/10.1007/s42242-024-00306-1


Microfluidic thermotaxic selection of highly motile sperm and in vitro fertilization


Author(s):  Sihan Chen, Jiemin Chen, Zihan Qin, Jibo Wang, Yuwen Wang, Rong Liu, Wen Zhao, Ming Zhang, Yuanzhen Zhang, Mengcheng Luo, Pu Chen

Affiliation(s):  Tissue Engineering and Organ Manufacturing (TEOM) Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; more

Corresponding email(s):   zhangyuanzhen@whu.edu.cn, luomengcheng@whu.edu.cn, puchen@whu.edu.cn

Key Words:  Microfluidic device · Thermotaxis · Sperm sorting · Assisted reproductive technology · In vitro fertilization


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Sihan Chen, Jiemin Chen, Zihan Qin, Jibo Wang, Yuwen Wang, Rong Liu, Wen Zhao, Ming Zhang, Yuanzhen Zhang, Mengcheng Luo, Pu Chen. Microfluidic thermotaxic selection of highly motile sperm and in vitro fertilization[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University Science D, 2024, 7(5): 687-700.

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publisher="Zhejiang University Press & Springer",
doi="10.1007/s42242-024-00306-1"
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Abstract: 
The selection of the most motile and functionally competent sperm is an essential basis for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and normal embryonic development. Widely adopted clinical approaches for sperm sample processing intensely rely on centrifu gation and wash steps that may induce mechanical damage and oxidative stress to sperm. Although a few microfluidic sperm sorting devices may avoid these adverse effects by exploiting intrinsic guidance mechanisms of sperm swimming, none of these approaches have been fully validated by clinical-grade assessment criteria. In this study, a microfluidic sperm sorting device that enables the selection of highly motile and functional sperm via their intrinsic thermotaxis is presented. Bioin spired by the temperature microenvironment in the fallopian tube during natural sperm selection, a microfluidic device with controllable temperature gradients along the sperm separation channel was designed and fabricated. This study investigated the optimal temperature conditions for human sperm selection and fully characterized thermotaxis-selected sperm with 45 human sperm samples. Results indicated that a temperature range of 35–36.5 °C along the separation channel significantly improves human sperm motility rate ((85.25±6.28)% vs. (60.72±1.37)%; P=0.0484), increases normal sperm morphology rate ((16.42±1.43)% vs. (12.55±0.88)%; P<0.0001), and reduces DNA fragmentation ((7.44±0.79)% vs. (10.36±0.72)%; P=0.0485) compared to the nonthermotaxis group. Sperm thermotaxis is species-specific, and selected mouse sperm dis played the highest motility in response to a temperature range of 36–37.5 °C along the separation channel. Furthermore, IVF experiments indicated that the selected sperm permitted an increased fertilization rate and improved embryonic development from zygote to blastocyst. This microfluidic thermotaxic selection approach will be translated into clinical practice to improve the IVF success rate for patients with oligozoospermia and asthenozoospermia.

武汉大学陈璞罗孟成中南医院张元珍团队 | 基于微流控的趋温性精子分选及体外受精研究

本研究论文聚焦于微流控芯片技术结合温控用于精子分选。在辅助生殖过程中,选择活力强且功能完好的精子是确保胚胎发育成功的关键步骤。传统的精子样本处理方法,如离心和洗涤,可能引入机械损伤和氧化应激,影响精子质量。尽管微流控技术通过模拟精子自然游动方式以减少这些不利影响,但现有方法尚未经过临床级别的全面验证。受自然环境下输卵管中精子选择机制以及精子对温度梯度的内在响应特性的启发,我们设计并制造了一种微流控装置,该装置在精子分选通道内形成可控的温度梯度。我们系统地研究了人类精子在不同温度条件下的响应,并全面评估了45份人类精子样本通过趋温性选择的效果。研究结果表明,在35~36.5 ℃的温度范围内,与非趋温性选择相比,通过趋温性选择的精子展现出更高的活率((85.25±6.28)% vs.(60.72±1.37)%;P=0.0484),更高的正常形态率((16.42±1.43)% vs.(12.55±0.88)%;P<0.0001),以及更低的DNA碎片率((7.44±0.79)% vs.(10.36±0.72)%;P=0.0485)。此外,精子趋温性表现出物种特异性,小鼠精子在36~37.5 ℃的温度范围内活力最高。体外受精实验进一步证实,利用趋温性选择的精子显著提高了受精率,并改善了从受精卵到囊胚的胚胎发育过程。本研究提出并验证了一种基于微流控技术的趋温性精子选择方法。该方法不仅能够有效选择高活力和功能完好的精子,而且能够降低传统处理方法可能带来的不利影响。这一创新方法有望在未来转化为临床实践,特别是在少精子症和弱精子症患者的体外受精治疗中,以提高受精率和胚胎发育的成功率。

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