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Hungerford AJ, Bakos HW, Aitken RJ. Addition of Vitamin C Mitigates the Loss of Antioxidant Capacity, Vitality and DNA Integrity in Cryopreserved Human Semen Samples. Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:247. [PMID: 38397845 PMCID: PMC10885938 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13020247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa is a necessity for males suffering from infertility who cannot produce fresh semen for insemination. However, current ART cryopreservation protocols are associated with losses of sperm motility, vitality and DNA integrity, which are thought to be linked to the induction of oxidative damage and the toxic properties of commercial cryoprotectants (CPAs). Preventing or mitigating these losses would be hugely beneficial to sperm survival during ART. Therefore, in this in vitro investigation, lipid peroxidation, production of reactive oxygen species, movement characteristics, antioxidant capacity, vitality, and DNA integrity were examined in semen samples both pre- and post-cryopreservation with CPA supplementation. The findings revealed a 50% reduction in antioxidant capacity with CPA addition, which was accompanied by significant increases in generation of reactive oxygen species and formation of lipid aldehydes. These changes were, in turn, correlated with reductions in sperm viability, motility and DNA integrity. Antioxidant supplementation generated bell-shaped dose-response curves with both resveratrol and vitamin C, emphasising the vulnerability of these cells to both oxidative and reductive stress. At the optimal dose, vitamin C was able to significantly enhance vitality and reduce DNA damage recorded in cryopreserved human spermatozoa. An improvement in sperm motility did not reach statistical significance, possibly because additional pathophysiological mechanisms limit the potential effectiveness of antioxidants in rescuing this aspect of sperm function. The vulnerability of human spermatozoa to reductive stress and the complex nature of sperm cryoinjury will present major challenges in creating the next generation of cryoprotective media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena J. Hungerford
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and Environmental Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; (A.J.H.); (H.W.B.)
| | - Hassan W. Bakos
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and Environmental Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; (A.J.H.); (H.W.B.)
- Memphasys Ltd., Sydney, NSW 2140, Australia
| | - Robert J. Aitken
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and Environmental Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; (A.J.H.); (H.W.B.)
- Memphasys Ltd., Sydney, NSW 2140, Australia
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Gül A, Yildiz C, Coşkun Çetin N, Yalçin OK. Effect of Ascorbic Acid and Proline Amino Acid Supplementations on Cryosurvival and Fertility Rates of Cryopreserved Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera) Semen. Biopreserv Biobank 2022; 20:551-556. [PMID: 35020446 DOI: 10.1089/bio.2021.0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and proline amino acid alone or together on the quality and fertility of frozen/thawed honey bee spermatozoa. The experiments were designed to compare a single ascorbic acid, a single proline amino acid, and different combinations of ascorbic acid with proline amino acid on the cryopreservation of honey bee semen based on sperm motility, viability, intact membrane (hypo-osmotic swelling test), and fertility rates. Eight cryopreserved study groups comprised Control II with no supplement, along with groups with ascorbic acid (2 mg), proline 25 mM, proline 50 mM, proline 100 mM, and combination groups of both ascorbic acid (2 mg) and proline 25 mM, proline 50 mM, and lastly proline 100 mM groups, respectively. Using 50 mM proline in the tested groups had the greatest impact on sperm motility, viability, the percentage of spermatozoa with intact membrane, and fertility. The cryopreservation process caused a gradual decrease in motility, viability, intact membrane (p < 0.05), and fertility rates (p < 0.01) in all the tested research groups as against the fresh semen control group. Successful honey bee sperm cryopreservation and fertility are achievable when using an appropriate sperm freezing protocol and antioxidant. Proline amino acid as an antioxidant in semen extender had a more beneficial influence on sperm quality parameters and fertility. The success of cryopreservation with antioxidants is related to the chosen antioxidant in a dose-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Gül
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey
| | - Cengiz Yildiz
- Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey
| | - Nurdan Coşkun Çetin
- Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey
| | - Oguz Kaan Yalçin
- Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey
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Horta F, Alzobi H, Jitanantawittaya S, Catt S, Chen P, Pangestu M, Temple-Smith P. Minimal volume vitrification of epididymal spermatozoa results in successful in vitro fertilization and embryo development in mice. Asian J Androl 2017; 19:107-112. [PMID: 27427551 PMCID: PMC5227658 DOI: 10.4103/1008-682x.183378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
This study compared three cryopreservation protocols on sperm functions, IVF outcomes, and embryo development. Epididymal spermatozoa cryopreserved using slow-cooling (18% w/v raffinose, RS-C) were compared with spermatozoa vitrified using 0.25 M sucrose (SV) or 18% w/v raffinose (RV). The motility, vitality, and DNA damage (TUNEL assay) of fresh control (FC) spermatozoa were compared with post-thawed or warmed RS-C, RV, and SV samples. Mouse oocytes (n = 267) were randomly assigned into three groups for insemination: RV (n = 102), RS-C (n = 86), and FC (n = 79). The number and the proportion of two-cell embryos and blastocysts from each treatment were assessed. Sperm motility (P < 0.01) and vitality (P < 0.05) were significantly reduced after vitrification compared with slow-cooled spermatozoa. However, DNA fragmentation was significantly reduced in spermatozoa vitrified using sucrose (15 ± 1.8% [SV] vs 26 ± 2.8% [RV] and 27 ± 1.2% [RS-C]; P < 0.01). Although the number of two-cell embryos produced by RS-C, RV, and FC spermatozoa was not significantly different, the number of blastocysts produced from two-cell embryos using RV spermatozoa was significantly higher than FC spermatozoa (P = 0.0053). This simple, small volume vitrification protocol and standard insemination method allows successful embryo production from small numbers of epididymal spermatozoa and may be applied clinically to circumvent the need for ICSI, which has the disadvantage of bypassing sperm selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizzio Horta
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Unit of Reproductive Medicine, Clínica Las Condes, Lo Fontecilla 441, Las Condes, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, 7550000, Chile
| | - Hamida Alzobi
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Sutthipat Jitanantawittaya
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Sally Catt
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Penny Chen
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Mulyoto Pangestu
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Peter Temple-Smith
- Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3168, Australia
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Diercks AK, Bürgers HF, Schwab A, Schenkel J. Improved assessment of frozen/thawed mouse spermatozoa using fluorescence microscopy. J Vet Sci 2013; 13:315-22. [PMID: 23000589 PMCID: PMC3467408 DOI: 10.4142/jvs.2012.13.3.315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically modified (GM) animals are unique mutants with an enormous scientific potential. Cryopreservation of pre-implantation embryos or spermatozoa is a common approach for protecting these lines from being lost or to store them in a repository. A mutant line can be taken out of a breeding nucleus only if sufficient numbers of samples with an appropriate level of quality are cryopreserved. The quality of different donors within the same mouse line might be heterogeneous and the cryopreservation procedure might also be error-prone. However, only limited amounts of material are available for analysis. To improve the monitoring of frozen/thawed spermatozoa, commonly used in vitro fertilization (IVF) followed by embryo transfer were replaced with animal-free techniques. Major factors for assessing spermatozoa quality (i.e., density, viability, motility, and morphology) were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. For this, a live/dead cell staining protocol requiring only small amounts of material was created. Membrane integrity was then examined as major parameter closely correlated with successful IVF. These complex analyses allow us to monitor frozen/thawed spermatozoa from GM mice using a relatively simple staining procedure. This approach leads to a reduction of animal experiments and contributes to the 3R principles (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kathrin Diercks
- Cryopreservation W430, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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ZHANG JJ, WANG Y, XIANG HY, LI MX, LI WH, MA KG, WANG XZ, ZHANG JH. Oxidative Stress: Role in Acetamiprid-Induced Impairment of the Male Mice Reproductive System. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/s1671-2927(11)60063-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Yamauchi Y, Riel JM, Stoytcheva Z, Burgoyne PS, Ward MA. Deficiency in mouse Y chromosome long arm gene complement is associated with sperm DNA damage. Genome Biol 2010; 11:R66. [PMID: 20573212 PMCID: PMC2911114 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2010-11-6-r66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 06/11/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mice with severe non-PAR Y chromosome long arm (NPYq) deficiencies are infertile in vivo and in vitro. We have previously shown that sperm from these males, although having grossly malformed heads, were able to fertilize oocytes via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and yield live offspring. However, in continuing ICSI trials we noted a reduced efficiency when cryopreserved sperm were used and with epididymal sperm as compared to testicular sperm. In the present study we tested if NPYq deficiency is associated with sperm DNA damage - a known cause of poor ICSI success. Results We observed that epididymal sperm from mice with severe NPYq deficiency (that is, deletion of nine-tenths or the entire NPYq gene complement) are impaired in oocyte activation ability following ICSI and there is an increased incidence of oocyte arrest and paternal chromosome breaks. Comet assays revealed increased DNA damage in both epididymal and testicular sperm from these mice, with epididymal sperm more severely affected. In all mice the level of DNA damage was increased by freezing. Epididymal sperm from mice with severe NPYq deficiencies also suffered from impaired membrane integrity and abnormal chromatin condensation and suboptimal chromatin protamination. It is therefore likely that the increased DNA damage associated with NPYq deficiency is a consequence of disturbed chromatin remodeling. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence of DNA damage in sperm from mice with NPYq deficiencies and indicates that NPYq-encoded gene/s may play a role in processes regulating chromatin remodeling and thus in maintaining DNA integrity in sperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Yamauchi
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East-West Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Wang XZ, Liu SS, Sun Y, Wu JY, Zhou YL, Zhang JH. Beta-cypermethrin impairs reproductive function in male mice by inducing oxidative stress. Theriogenology 2009; 72:599-611. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2009.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2009] [Revised: 03/15/2009] [Accepted: 04/11/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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