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The effect of pH and viscosity on bovine spermatozoa motility under controlled conditions

  • Urology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Infertility in a large proportion of infertile couples is due, in part, to the male factor. Spermatozoa must survive the unique environment of the female reproductive tract in their path to fertilize the ovum. This fact is even more problematic for men with oligospermia. Of the many environmental factors that effect sperm motility in the female reproductive tract, we have decided to concentrate on the effect of pH and viscosity on bovine spermatozoa in the laboratory setting. Follicular fluid was harvested from heifer ovaries to serve as a chemo-attractant. Through image analysis, our data shows trends of sperm motility as a function of pH and viscosity. There is a significant increase in the number of immotile sperm seen as pH decreases from 6.5 to 6.0. Furthermore, an exponential relationship between sperm speed and environmental viscosity was observed in vitro. This suggests that modulating vaginal pH and vaginal secretion viscosity could greatly affect spermatozoa motility and therefore male fertility.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our Biomedical Engineering mentors at Columbia University and specifically, Clark T. Hung, Ph.D., and Paul Sajda, Ph.D. Also, Nina C. Shapley, Ph.D. and Tracey L. Moraczewski, M.S. for kindly allowing us to conduct viscosity measurements in their laboratory.

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Columbia University, Department of Biomedical Engineering

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 4004 North St. Louis, Apt #1N, Chicago, IL, 60618, USA

    Avez A. Rizvi

  2. Presbyterian Hospital, & Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Avez A. Rizvi, Mohammed I. Quraishi & John Mulhall

  3. Columbia University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, 500 W 120th St # 510, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Avez A. Rizvi, Vikren Sarkar, Chris DuBois & Sinan Biro

  4. 901 Harbour Shore Dr, Knoxville, TN, 37934, USA

    Mohammed I. Quraishi

  5. MC 7889/Radiation Oncology, 7979 Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA

    Vikren Sarkar

  6. 317 Adelphi St, Brooklyn, NY, 11205, USA

    Chris DuBois & Sinan Biro

  7. Department of Urology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 525 E 68th St, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    John Mulhall

Authors
  1. Avez A. Rizvi
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  2. Mohammed I. Quraishi
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  3. Vikren Sarkar
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  4. Chris DuBois
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Correspondence to Avez A. Rizvi.

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Rizvi, A.A., Quraishi, M.I., Sarkar, V. et al. The effect of pH and viscosity on bovine spermatozoa motility under controlled conditions. Int Urol Nephrol 41, 523–530 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-008-9493-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-008-9493-x

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