Significance of Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidants in Defining the Efficacy of Sperm Preparation Techniques

TLDR

The study investigates how sperm preparation protocols influence human sperm function. The authors assessed whether antioxidants (butylated hydroxytoluene and vitamin E) could reduce peroxidative damage caused by centrifugation‑induced reactive oxygen species. Separating motile sperm before centrifugation yields the highest quality sperm, whereas centrifugation first induces a ROS burst that impairs function, but vitamin E mitigates this damage and improves sperm performance.

Abstract

The mechanisms responsible for mediating the influence of sperm preparation protocols on human sperm function have been investigated. Techniques that involved the separation of motile spermatozoa prior to centrifugation were found to yield sperm suspensions of highest quality. If the spermatozoa were centrifuged prior to isolation of the motile cells, sperm function was impaired. The detrimental effects of centrifugation were associated with a sudden burst of reactive oxygen species production by a discrete subpopulation of cells (characterized by significantly diminished motility and fertilizing capacity) that could be separated from normal functional spermatozoa on Percoll gradients. If unfractionated sperm suspensions were subjected to centrifugation, the reactive oxygen species generated by this subpopulation impaired the functional competence of normal spermatozoa in the same suspension. Assessment of the ability of the antioxidants, butylated hydroxytoluene, and vitamin E, to curtail the peroxidative damage inflicted by such cells in response to centrifugation revealed a significant improvement of sperm function in the presence of vitamin E.