Fertility and Sterility
Volume 93, Issue 3 , Pages 789-794, February 2010

Effect of thawing temperature on the motility recovery of cryopreserved human spermatozoa

  • Juan C. Calamera, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Laboratorio de Estudios en Reproducción, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • ,
  • Mariano G. Buffone, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • University of Pennsylvania, Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • ,
  • Gustavo F. Doncel, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Contraceptive Research and Development (CONRAD), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia
    • ,
  • Santiago Brugo-Olmedo, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Centro Medico Seremas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • ,
  • Sabrina de Vincentiis, M.S.

      Affiliations

    • Centro Medico Seremas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • ,
  • Maria M. Calamera, M.S.

      Affiliations

    • Laboratorio de Estudios en Reproducción, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • ,
  • Bayard T. Storey, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • University of Pennsylvania, Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • ,
  • Juan G. Alvarez, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Instituto Marques, Barcelona, Spain
    • Fundación Leonardo Marquès, Barcelona, Spain
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Professor Juan G. Alvarez, Instituto Marques, Manuel Girona, 33, 08034 Barcelona, Spain (FAX: 34-981918520).

Received 6 August 2008; received in revised form 5 October 2008; accepted 17 October 2008. published online 08 December 2008.

Objective

To investigate the effects of thawing temperature on sperm function after cryopreservation. The technical aspects of sperm cryopreservation have significantly improved over the last few decades. However, a standard protocol designed to optimize sperm motility recovery after thawing has not yet been established.

Design

Prospective study.

Setting

Private infertility institute and university-based research laboratory.

Patient(s)

Eighty consenting normozoospermic patients consulting for infertility.

Intervention(s)

Spermatozoa from donor semen samples were thawed at different temperatures.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Sperm motility, viability, adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) content, acrosomal status, and DNA integrity were evaluated as a function of thawing temperature in cryopreserved human sperm samples.

Result(s)

Thawing at 40°C resulted in a statistically significant increase in sperm motility recovery compared with thawing at temperatures between 20°C and 37°C. There were no statistically significant differences in sperm viability, acrosomal status, ATP content, and DNA integrity after thawing at 40°C compared with thawing at temperatures between 20°C and 37°C.

Conclusion(s)

Sperm thawing at 40°C could be safely used to improve motility recovery after sperm cryopreservation.

Key Words: Cryopreservation, human sperm, temperature, ATP, DNA damage

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 J.C.C. has nothing to disclose. M.G.B. has nothing to disclose. G.F.D. has nothing to disclose. S.B.-O. has nothing to disclose. S.d.V. has nothing to disclose. M.M.C. has nothing to disclose. B.T.S. has nothing to disclose. J.G.A. has nothing to disclose.

 This study was supported by the Laboratorio de Estudios en Reproducción (internal research funds to J.C.C.) and CONRAD (USAID, to G.F.D.).

PII: S0015-0282(08)04283-0

doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.10.021

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 93, Issue 3 , Pages 789-794, February 2010

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