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Microfluidic chips as a method for sperm selection improve fertilization rate in couples with fertilization failure

  • Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Sperm quality plays a vital role in successful fertilization and pregnancy. Patients with fertilization failure (total failure or low-fertilization rate) despite having normal semen parameters are a challenging group whose sperm cannot fertilize the oocyte via the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique. Microfluidics is offered as a new method for proper sperm sorting.

Methods

This study aimed to evaluate sperm parameters, DNA fragmentation index (DFI), expression of phospholipase C zeta 1 (PLCZ1), and transition nuclear proteins 1 (TNP1) mRNAs in sperm selected by microfluidic sperm sorting (MSS) chip compared with conventional density gradient centrifugation technique in patients with fertilization failure following ICSI. Subsequence fertilization rate and embryo quality were assayed.

Results

Normal morphology and total motility were significantly higher, and DFI was significantly lower in sperm selected by the MSS chip in fertilization failure and control groups. The RT-PCR results demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of PLCZ1 and TNP1 genes in sperm of both groups selected by MSS chips compared to the DGC method. In addition, with the selected sperm by MSS chip, an increase in fertilization rate and improvement of embryo quality was obtained.

Conclusion

The present study findings show that sperm sorting by the microfluidic method improves fertilization rate in patients with poor fertilization outcomes following ICSI.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Iran University of Medical Sciences under Grant (number 13580).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Jamileh Sadat Mirsanei, Nadia Sheibak, Zahra Zandieh, Mehdi Mehdizadeh, Atieh Sadat Mousavi & Fatemehsadat Amjadi

  2. Shahid Akbarabadi Clinical Research Development Unit (ShACRDU), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Jamileh Sadat Mirsanei, Nadia Sheibak, Zahra Zandieh, Maryamsadat Tabatabaei, Atieh Sadat Mousavi & Fatemehsadat Amjadi

  3. Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

    Reza Aflatoonian

Authors
  1. Jamileh Sadat Mirsanei
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Contributions

FA contributed to the design of the study, acquisition, revision and gave input at all stages of the study. JSM, ZZ, MM, RA, MST and ASM took part in collection and analysis of data. NS contributed to drafting the article and critical discussion. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fatemehsadat Amjadi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethical approval

The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR.IUMS.FMD.REC.1398.179).

Consent to participate

All the participants provided written informed consent before sample collection.

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Mirsanei, J.S., Sheibak, N., Zandieh, Z. et al. Microfluidic chips as a method for sperm selection improve fertilization rate in couples with fertilization failure. Arch Gynecol Obstet 306, 901–910 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-022-06618-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-022-06618-w

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