The Effect of Non-Thermal Plasma on the Structural and Functional Characteristics of Human Spermatozoa

Significant antibacterial properties of non-thermal plasma (NTP) have converted this technology into a promising alternative to the widespread use of antibiotics in assisted reproduction. As substantial data available on the specific in vitro effects of NTP on male reproductive cells are currently m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2021-05, Vol.22 (9), p.4979
Main Authors: Tvrdá, Eva, Lovíšek, Daniel, Kyzek, Stanislav, Kováčik, Dušan, Gálová, Eliška
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Apoptosis
Cryopreservation
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Destabilization
DNA
DNA fragmentation
Exposure
functional activity
In vitro fertilization
Lipid peroxidation
Lipids
Membranes
Mitochondria
Motility
non-thermal plasma
Plasma
Reactive oxygen species
Sperm
Spermatozoa
structural integrity
Structure-function relationships
Thermal plasmas
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Summary:Significant antibacterial properties of non-thermal plasma (NTP) have converted this technology into a promising alternative to the widespread use of antibiotics in assisted reproduction. As substantial data available on the specific in vitro effects of NTP on male reproductive cells are currently missing, this study was designed to investigate selected quality parameters of human spermatozoa (n = 51) exposed to diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge NTP for 0 s, 15 s, 30 s, 60 s and 90 s. Sperm motility characteristics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were investigated immediately following exposure to NTP and 2 h post-NTP treatment. Exposure to NTP with a power input of 40 W for 15 s or 30 s was found to have no negative effects on the sperm structure or function. However, a prolonged NTP treatment impaired all the sperm quality markers in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The most likely mechanism of action of high NTP doses may be connected to ROS overproduction, leading to plasma membrane destabilization, LPO, mitochondrial failure and a subsequent loss of motility as well as DNA integrity. As such, our findings indicate that appropriate plasma exposure conditions need to be carefully selected in order to preserve the sperm vitality, should NTP be used in the practical management of bacteriospermia in the future.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms22094979