RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress (OS) is known to be an important factor of male infertility. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) are known to have immune-modulatory and anti-oxidant effects through their secretions, hence raising the idea of their potential benefit to improve sperm parameters. This study aims at investigating the effect of AD-MSCs conditioned medium (CM) on human sperm parameters in the presence and absence of H2O2-induced OS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sperm samples were collected from 30 healthy men and divided into two groups: non-stressed and H2O2-stressed. Isolated AD-MSCs from healthy donors undergoing liposuction were cultured and CM was collected at 24, 48 and 72 h. Both sperm groups were cultured with CM and a time course was performed followed by an evaluation of sperm parameters. The incubation of non-stressed and stressed sperm samples with AD-MSCs-CM for 24 h was found to have the optimum impact on sperm vacuolization, DNA fragmentation and OS levels in comparison to other incubation timings, while preserving motility, viability and morphology of cells. Incubation with CM improved all sperm parameters except morphology in comparison to the non-treated group, with the best effect noted with CM collected at 24 h rather than 48 or 72 h for sperm vacuolization and DNA fragmentation. When compared to fresh semen parameters (T0), samples cultured with CM 24 h showed a significant decrease in sperm vacuolization and DNA fragmentation while keeping other parameters stable. CONCLUSIONS: AD-MSCSs-CM improves sperm quality, and hence can be used in treating infertility and subsequently enhancing IVF outcomes.
RESUMEN
SummaryDirect swim-up procedure is widely used to separate the motile competent spermatozoa from the antioxidant-rich semen. Subsequently, spermatozoa become more vulnerable to reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to their cytological characteristics. The effect of vitamin C, a highly concentrated antioxidant in the semen, on direct swim-up-enriched sperm population is not fully investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of vitamin C on sperm functional properties during direct swim-up procedure. Semen samples were collected from 22 participants. Each semen sample was divided into several aliquots. The first portion was overlaid with sperm medium without ascorbic acid (0 µM AA). The second and third fractions were overlaid with sperm medium supplemented with 300 µM and 600 µM AA; respectively. After 1 h of incubation, basic sperm parameters, intracellular ROS levels, acrosome reaction, chromatin integrity, and glucose uptake were assessed. Swim-up without AA significantly increased the percentage of ROS(+) spermatozoa compared with the raw semen (P<0.01). Interestingly, swim-up with 300 µM AA did not increase the percentage of ROS(+) sperm compared with the raw semen. In parallel, the percentage of sperm with altered chromatin integrity was significantly lower in the 300 µM AA group compared with that in the raw semen (P<0.05). These findings suggest that supplementation of vitamin C to sperm medium could be beneficial for direct swim-up-derived spermatozoa.