Case report: Changes in motility patterns during in-vitro culture of fresh and frozen/thawed testicular and epididymal spermatozoa: implications for planning treatment by intracytoplasmic sperm injection

• Published in: Human reproduction (Oxford) 1996-11, Vol.11 (11), p.2474-2476
• Main Authors: Edirisinghe, W.Rohini, Junk, Stephen M., Matson, Phillip L, Yovich, John L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0268-1161; 1460-2350
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019141

Abstract The present report describes the motility changes in vitro (percentage motile and progressively motile) of freshly collected testicular and epididymal spermatozoa and following freeze/thaw of the same spermatozoa from a man with obstructive azoospermia. Washed spermatozoa were cultured in micro droplets under paraffin oil or in test tubes using HEPES-buffered or bicarbonate-buffered medium containing 10% human serum. In fresh testicular sperm cultures 60-65% of the sperm cells became motile within 2 days of culture; the motility was maintained for a further 4-5 days before a decline was observed. The progressive motility unproved markedly on the third day of culture and it peaked around day 5. Only a small number of frozen/ thawed testicular spermatozoa became motile during in-vitro culture (15-20%) and the motility was maintained for only 2-3 days before it declined. Furthermore, only 10-12% of the spermatozoa showed progressive motility. Spermatozoa recovered from micro-epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) showed a gradual decrease in progressive motility and in 5 days all sperm cells were found to be immotile in both freshly collected and frozen/thawed spermatozoa. All culture systems supported sperm motility. It is clear that testicular spermatozoa, particularly from men with obstructive azoospermia, can be collected and maintained in vitro for up to 1 week before the oocyte retrieval but when frozen testicular or epididymal spermatozoa are used it is more reliable to thaw these spermatozoa on the day of intracytoplasmic sperm injection.