Caspases are central components in the apoptosis signaling cascade. The family of cysteine proteases transduces and enhances the apoptosis signal, and activation of effector caspases results in controlled cellular degradation. Although initially the presence of caspases in spermatozoa was controversially discussed in recent years, many studies demonstrated their activation in male germ cells. A...

This chapter will discuss the various sperm preparation and selection techniques used to process sperm for use with assisted reproductive techniques: swim-down, swim-up, migrationsedimentation, density gradient centrifugation, magnetic activated cell sorting, and glass wool filtration. It will also explain the procedures used to prepare viscous semen samples as well as when to obtain and prepar...

Factors that affect sperm quality can include method of semen collection, conditions for capacitation and whether or not agglutination is present. Media and procedures for sperm washing can also impair or improve sperm function in assisted reproductive technologies. For example, the removal of seminal fluid through large volume washing is required to eliminate decapacitation activity of seminal...

Evidence is increasing that the integrity of sperm DNA may also be related to implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage (RM). To investigate this, the sperm DNA fragmentation in partners of 35 women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) following in vitro fertilization, 16 women diagnosed with RM and seven recent fathers (control) were examined. Sperm were examined pre- and post-densit...

Sperm are a highly specialized cell type derived to deliver the paternal haploid genome to the oocyte. The epigenetic, or gene regulatory, properties and mechanisms of the sperm assist in preparation of the paternal genome to contribute to embryogenesis and the genome of the zygote. Many recent studies have addressed the issue of altered epigenetic processes in the sperm. This review evaluates ...

objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the non-genomic action of thyroxin on sperm kinetic and its probable use to improve sperm recovery after applying an enrichment method like “swim-up” in comparison with the available one, pentoxifylline. materials and methods: this is an experimental study. a total of 50 patients were recruited, followed by infertility consultation. conventional ...

Removal of seminal plasma facilitates stallion sperm survival during storage, but washing may damage chromatin. Therefore, quality was compared in samples following single-layer centrifugation (SLC) or and controls (extension only) two extenders, INRA82 INRA96. Ejaculates from six stallions were split among treatments: SLC, washing, controls, Sperm motility acrosome status evaluated at 0, 24, 4...

Computer-assisted sperm analysis of fresh and frozen-thawed bovine sperm requires proper handling and preparation, and the type of slide used in the assessment is critical if the resultant data are to be useful quality control measurements. In the present study, 4 different slide viewing chambers, a Makler chamber, a clean slide-coverslip, or a 2- or 4-cell chamber Leja slide, were compared wit...

In vitro incubation and centrifugation is known to decrease human sperm quality. In the human body, besides its antioxidant effects, L-carnitine (LC) facilitates the transport of activated fatty acids from the cytosol to the mitochondrial matrix. In this study, we investigated the effect of LC on human sperm motility, viability and DNA oxidation after incubation and centrifugation, following th...