ABSTRACT
Background: sperm processing methods separate motile sperms with good morphology from dead and abnormal forms of sperms, immature germ cells, and non-sperm cells
Objective: the propose of this study was to compare the efficacy of upstream and swim-up processing techniques to separate sperms with the high quality especially in relation to sperm chromatin integrity
Materials and Methods: this experimental study used semen samples from 60 normozoospermic men. Specimens were divided into equal aliquots for processing by swim up [group A], and upstream [group B] methods and compare with control by raw semen [group C]. Sperm concentration, morphology, motility, DNA fragmentation and chromatin maturation were measured in these three groups
Results: the results revealed that sperm concentration in the swim up samples was significantly greater than upstream samples [p/= 0.4]. In addition, sperm DNA fragmentation and chromatin maturation were not significantly different between the three groups [p >/= 0.1]
Conclusion: according to results, apparently the upstream method had no significant efficiency to separate good quality sperms compare to swim up. Therefore, swim up seems to be a simple, inexpensive, reliable and widely available method with an efficient yield to separate motile sperm with good morphology and better chromatin integrity for insemination in the infertility clinics
ABSTRACT
In cancer patients, chemo and radiotherapy can cause infertility by damaging spermatogenesis process. This process is based on self-renewal and differentiation of a rare population of the testicular cells called Spermatogonial Stem Cells [SSCs]. Scientists have tried to isolate, enrich and culture Human spermatogonial stem cells, hoping to resolve infertility problems in cancer recovered patients in the future. Spermatogonial stem cells were isolated and purified from human testicular biopsies sample consisting of at least 500,000 and at most 2,000,000 cells. Two enzymatic digestion steps were performed. Enriching methods, differential plating, and specific culture in serum-free medium with added growth factors: human GDNF, bFGF, EGF and LIF was performed on coated dishes. Human spermatogonial stem cell clusters were observed after 7 to 10 days in specific culture, then after several passages and successful expanding duration of 52 days, the cells were evaluated by three layer immunocytochemistry test [LSAB] to stain GPR125 protein as a surface marker in human spermatogonial stem cells. In current study human spermatogonial stem cell were isolated and expanded with the least manipulations in comparison with the other usual isolation methods like florescent or magnetic activated cell sorting. In contrast to the other SSCs isolation and culture methods, this system is based on the testicular biopsies against large samples, thus suggested method in this study is closer to clinical usage in the future