1
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Yazdan Parast F, Veeraragavan S, Gaikwad AS, Powar S, Prabhakar R, O'Bryan MK, Nosrati R. Viscous Loading Regulates the Flagellar Energetics of Human and Bull Sperm. SMALL METHODS 2024; 8:e2300928. [PMID: 38135876 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202300928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The viscoelastic properties of the female reproductive tract influence sperm swimming behavior, but the exact role of these rheological changes in regulating sperm energetics remains unknown. Using high-speed dark-field microscopy, the flagellar dynamics of free-swimming sperm across a physiologically relevant range of viscosities is resolved. A transition from 3D to 2D slither swimming under an increased viscous loading is revealed, in the absence of any geometrical or chemical stimuli. This transition is species-specific, aligning with viscosity variations within each species' reproductive tract. Despite substantial drag increase, 2D slithering sperm maintain a steady swimming speed across a wide viscosity range (20-250 and 75-1000 mPa s for bull and human sperm) by dissipating over sixfold more energy into the fluid without elevating metabolic activity, potentially by altering the mechanisms of dynein motor activity. This energy-efficient motility mode is ideally suited for the viscous environment of the female reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farin Yazdan Parast
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Shibani Veeraragavan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Avinash S Gaikwad
- Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
- School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Sushant Powar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Ranganathan Prabhakar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Moira K O'Bryan
- School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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2
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Tan R, Yang X, Lu H, Shen Y. One-step formation of polymorphous sperm-like microswimmers by vortex turbulence-assisted microfluidics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4761. [PMID: 38834563 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49043-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Microswimmers are considered promising candidates for active cargo delivery to benefit a wide spectrum of biomedical applications. Yet, big challenges still remain in designing the microswimmers with effective propelling, desirable loading and adaptive releasing abilities all in one. Inspired by the morphology and biofunction of spermatozoa, we report a one-step formation strategy of polymorphous sperm-like magnetic microswimmers (PSMs) by developing a vortex turbulence-assisted microfluidics (VTAM) platform. The fabricated PSM is biodegradable with a core-shell head and flexible tail, and their morphology can be adjusted by vortex flow rotation speed and calcium chloride solution concentration. Benefiting from the sperm-like design, our PSM exhibits both effective motion ability under remote mag/netic actuation and protective encapsulation ability for material loading. Further, it can also realize the stable sustain release after alginate-chitosan-alginate (ACA) layer coating modification. This research proposes and verifies a new strategy for the sperm-like microswimmer construction, offering an alternative solution for the target delivery of diverse drugs and biologics for future biomedical treatment. Moreover, the proposed VTAM could also be a general method for other sophisticated polymorphous structures fabrication that isn't achievable by conventional laminar flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Tan
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiong Yang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Haojian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Industrial Control and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- Institute of Cyber-Systems and Control, the Department of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yajing Shen
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
- Center for Smart Manufacturing, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
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3
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Unnikrishnan S, Scott R, Ogundele E, Azad M, Ishimoto K, Suarez S, Tung CK. Hybrid motility mechanism of sperm at viscoelastic-solid interface. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4284452. [PMID: 38746416 PMCID: PMC11092832 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4284452/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
To fertilize eggs, sperm must pass through narrow, complex channels filled with viscoelastic fluids in the female reproductive tract. While it is known that the topography of the surfaces plays a role in guiding sperm movement, sperm have been thought of as swimmers, i.e., their motility comes solely from sperm interaction with the surrounding fluid, and therefore, the surfaces have no direct role in the motility mechanism itself. Here, we examined the role of solid surfaces in the movement of sperm in a highly viscoelastic medium. By visualizing the flagellum interaction with surfaces in a microfluidic device, we found that the flagellum stays close to the surface while the kinetic friction between the flagellum and the surface is in the direction of sperm movement, providing thrust. Additionally, the flow field generated by sperm suggests slippage between the viscoelastic fluid and the solid surface, deviating from the no-slip boundary typically used in standard fluid dynamics models. These observations point to hybrid motility mechanisms in sperm involving direct flagellum-surface interaction in addition to flagellum pushing the fluid. This finding signifies an evolutionary strategy of mammalian sperm crucial for their efficient migration through narrow, mucus-filled passages of the female reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert Scott
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
| | | | - Mohammad Azad
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
| | | | | | - Chih Kuan Tung
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
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4
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Canonico LF, De Clemente C, Fardilha M, Ferreira AF, Maremonti MI, Dannhauser D, Causa F, Netti PA. Exploring altered bovine sperm trajectories by sperm tracking in unconfined conditions. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1358440. [PMID: 38628946 PMCID: PMC11019440 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1358440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammalian sperm motility is getting more relevant due to rising infertility rates worldwide, generating the need to improve conventional analysis and diagnostic approaches. Nowadays, computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) technologies represent a popular alternative to manual examination which is generally performed by observing sperm motility in very confined geometries. However, under physiological conditions, sperm describe three-dimensional motility patterns which are not well reconstructed by the limited depth of standard acquisition chambers. Therefore, affordable and more versatile alternatives are needed. Here, a motility analysis in unconfined conditions is proposed. In details, the analysis is characterized by a significant longer duration -with respect to conventional systems- with the aim to observe eventually altered motility patterns. Brightfield acquisition in rectangular glass capillaries captured frozen-thawed bovine spermatozoa which were analyzed by means of a self-written tracking routine and classified in sub-populations, based on their curvilinear velocity. To test the versatility of our approach, cypermethrin -a commonly used pesticides- known to be responsible for changes in sperm motility was employed, assessing its effect at three different time-steps. Experimental results showed that such drug induces an increase in sperm velocity and progressiveness as well as circular pattern formation, likely independent of wall interactions. Moreover, this resulted in a redistribution of sperm with the rapid class declining in number with time, but still showing an overall velocity increase. The flexibility of the approach permits parameter modifications with the experimental needs, allowing us to conduct a comprehensive examination of sperm motility. This adaptability facilitated data acquisition which can be computed at different frame rates, extended time periods, and within deeper observation chambers. The suggested approach for sperm analysis exhibits potential as a valuable augmentation to current diagnostic instruments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Fausto Canonico
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia De Clemente
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Margarida Fardilha
- Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Institute for Biomedicine-iBiMED, Medical Sciences Department, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ana Filipa Ferreira
- Laboratory of Signal Transduction, Institute for Biomedicine-iBiMED, Medical Sciences Department, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Maria Isabella Maremonti
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - David Dannhauser
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Filippo Causa
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Paolo Antonio Netti
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB) and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Dei Materiali e Della Produzione Industriale, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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5
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Vafaie A, Raveshi MR, Devendran C, Nosrati R, Neild A. Making immotile sperm motile using high-frequency ultrasound. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk2864. [PMID: 38354240 PMCID: PMC10866541 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Sperm motility is a natural selection with a crucial role in both natural and assisted reproduction. Common methods for increasing sperm motility are by using chemicals that cause embryotoxicity, and the multistep washing requirements of these methods lead to sperm DNA damage. We propose a rapid and noninvasive mechanotherapy approach for increasing the motility of human sperm cells by using ultrasound operating at 800 mW and 40 MHz. Single-cell analysis of sperm cells, facilitated by droplet microfluidics, shows that exposure to ultrasound leads to up to 266% boost to motility parameters of relatively immotile sperm, and as a result, 72% of these immotile sperm are graded as progressive after exposure, with a swimming velocity greater than 5 micrometer per second. These promising results offer a rapid and noninvasive clinical method for improving the motility of sperm cells in the most challenging assisted reproduction cases to replace intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with less invasive treatments and to improve assisted reproduction outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Vafaie
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Mohammad Reza Raveshi
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Citsabehsan Devendran
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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6
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Miller DJ. Sperm in the Mammalian Female Reproductive Tract: Surfing Through the Tract to Try to Beat the Odds. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2024; 12:301-319. [PMID: 37906840 PMCID: PMC11149062 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021022-040629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian sperm are deposited in the vagina or the cervix/uterus at coitus or at artificial insemination, and the fertilizing sperm move through the female reproductive tract to the ampulla of the oviduct, the site of fertilization. But the destination of most sperm is not the oviduct. Most sperm are carried by retrograde fluid flow to the vagina, are phagocytosed, and/or do not pass barriers on the pathway to the oviduct. The sperm that reach the site of fertilization are the exceptions and winners of one of the most stringent selection processes in nature. This review discusses the challenges sperm encounter and how the few sperm that reach the site of fertilization overcome them. The sperm that reach the goal must navigate viscoelastic fluid, swim vigorously and cooperatively along the walls of the female tract, avoid the innate immune system, and respond to potential cues to direct their movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Miller
- Department of Animal Sciences and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
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7
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Royfman A, Khanal S, Avidor-Reiss T. Structural Analysis of Sperm Centrioles Using N-STORM. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2725:103-119. [PMID: 37856020 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3507-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
A prominent technical barrier when imaging swimming sperm is capturing a singular sperm cell's head and tail position simultaneously at a high resolution to understand their relationship in different stages of the sperm tail beating cycle. This is due to the sperm's high beating frequency, rotational movement, and the large difference in diameter between the head and tail. These intricacies increase the complexity of determining the position of a dynamic subcellular structure in the sperm neck, such as the centriole. We have developed a way to obtain this information by snap freezing mobile sperm at different stages of the sperm tail beating cycle and then analyzing them with super-resolution microscopy. This method captures the position of both the sperm head and tail at the microscale and centriolar substructure details at the nanoscale. This chapter describes the detailed procedures for the selection, preparation, antibody staining, 3D N-STORM imaging, and image quantification of bovine spermatozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Royfman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Sushil Khanal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Tomer Avidor-Reiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
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8
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Lee JG, Raj RR, Thome CP, Day NB, Martinez P, Bottenus N, Gupta A, Shields CW. Bubble-Based Microrobots with Rapid Circular Motions for Epithelial Pinning and Drug Delivery. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2300409. [PMID: 37058137 PMCID: PMC10524026 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202300409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Remotely powered microrobots are proposed as next-generation vehicles for drug delivery. However, most microrobots swim with linear trajectories and lack the capacity to robustly adhere to soft tissues. This limits their ability to navigate complex biological environments and sustainably release drugs at target sites. In this work, bubble-based microrobots with complex geometries are shown to efficiently swim with non-linear trajectories in a mouse bladder, robustly pin to the epithelium, and slowly release therapeutic drugs. The asymmetric fins on the exterior bodies of the microrobots induce a rapid rotational component to their swimming motions of up to ≈150 body lengths per second. Due to their fast speeds and sharp fins, the microrobots can mechanically pin themselves to the bladder epithelium and endure shear stresses commensurate with urination. Dexamethasone, a small molecule drug used for inflammatory diseases, is encapsulated within the polymeric bodies of the microrobots. The sustained release of the drug is shown to temper inflammation in a manner that surpasses the performance of free drug controls. This system provides a potential strategy to use microrobots to efficiently navigate large volumes, pin at soft tissue boundaries, and release drugs over several days for a range of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Gyun Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Ritu R. Raj
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Cooper P. Thome
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Nicole B. Day
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - Payton Martinez
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, UCB 427, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, UCB 422, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Nick Bottenus
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, UCB 427, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, UCB 422, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Ankur Gupta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
| | - C. Wyatt Shields
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, UCB 422, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
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9
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Xiao S, Riordon J, Lagunov A, Ghaffarzadeh M, Hannam T, Nosrati R, Sinton D. Human sperm cooperate to transit highly viscous regions on the competitive pathway to fertilization. Commun Biol 2023; 6:495. [PMID: 37149719 PMCID: PMC10164193 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04875-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Human sperm compete for fertilization. Here, we find that human sperm, unexpectedly, cooperate under conditions mimicking the viscosity contrasts in the female reproductive tract. Sperm attach at the head region to migrate as a cooperative group upon transit into and through a high viscosity medium (15-100 cP) from low viscosity seminal fluid. Sperm groups benefit from higher swimming velocity, exceeding that of individual sperm by over 50%. We find that sperm associated with a group possess high DNA integrity (7% fragmentation index) - a stark contrast to individual sperm exhibiting low DNA integrity (> 50% fragmentation index) - and feature membrane decapacitation factors that mediate sperm attachment to form the group. Cooperative behaviour becomes less prevalent upon capacitation and groups tend to disband as the surrounding viscosity reduces. When sperm from different male sources are present, related sperm preferentially form groups and achieve greater swimming velocity, while unrelated sperm are slowed by their involvement in a group. These findings reveal cooperation as a selective mode of human sperm motion - sperm with high DNA integrity cooperate to transit the highly viscous regions in the female tract and outcompete rival sperm for fertilization - and provide insight into cooperation-based sperm selection strategies for assisted reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sa Xiao
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Jason Riordon
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - David Sinton
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada.
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10
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Vasilescu SA, Ding L, Parast FY, Nosrati R, Warkiani ME. Sperm quality metrics were improved by a biomimetic microfluidic selection platform compared to swim-up methods. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2023; 9:37. [PMID: 37007605 PMCID: PMC10050147 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-023-00501-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Sperm selection is an essential component of all assisted reproductive treatments (ARTs) and is by far the most neglected step in the ART workflow in regard to technological innovation. Conventional sperm selection methodologies typically produce a higher total number of sperm with variable motilities, morphologies, and levels of DNA integrity. Gold-standard techniques, including density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and swim-up (SU), have been shown to induce DNA fragmentation through introducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) during centrifugation. Here, we demonstrate a 3D printed, biologically inspired microfluidic sperm selection device (MSSP) that utilizes multiple methods to simulate a sperms journey toward selection. Sperm are first selected based on their motility and boundary-following behavior and then on their expression of apoptotic markers, yielding over 68% more motile sperm than that of previously reported methods with a lower incidence of DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. Sperm from the MSSP also demonstrated higher motile sperm recovery after cryopreservation than that of SU or neat semen. Experiments were conducted side-by-side against conventional SU methods using human semen (n = 33) and showed over an 85% improvement in DNA integrity with an average 90% reduction in sperm apoptosis. These results that the platform is easy-to-use for sperm selection and mimics the biological function of the female reproductive tract during conception.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lin Ding
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia
| | - Farin Yazdan Parast
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia
- Institute for Biomedical Materials & Devices (IBMD), Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia
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11
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Nath B, Caprini L, Maggi C, Zizzari A, Arima V, Viola I, Di Leonardo R, Puglisi A. A microfluidic method for passive trapping of sperms in microstructures. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:773-784. [PMID: 36723114 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00997h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Sperm motility is a prerequisite for male fertility. Enhancing the concentration of motile sperms in assisted reproductive technologies - for human and animal reproduction - is typically achieved through aggressive methods such as centrifugation. Here, we propose a passive technique for the amplification of motile sperm concentration, with no externally imposed forces or flows. The technique is based on the disparity between probability rates, for motile cells, of entering and escaping from complex structures. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated in microfluidic experiments with microstructured devices, comparing the trapping power in different geometries. In these micro-traps, we observe an enhancement of cells' concentration close to 10, with a contrast between motile and non-motile cells increased by a similar factor. Simulations of suitable interacting model sperms in realistic geometries reproduce quantitatively the experimental results, extend the range of observations and highlight the components that are key to the optimal trap design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binita Nath
- ISC-CNR, Institute for Complex Systems, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar - 788010, Assam, India
| | - Lorenzo Caprini
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Theoretische Physik II - Soft Matter, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Claudio Maggi
- NANOTEC-CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, c/o Dipt. di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Zizzari
- NANOTEC-CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, c/o Campus Ecotekne, University of Salento, Via Monteroni, I-73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Valentina Arima
- NANOTEC-CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, c/o Campus Ecotekne, University of Salento, Via Monteroni, I-73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Ilenia Viola
- NANOTEC-CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, c/o Dipt. di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Di Leonardo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
- NANOTEC-CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, c/o Dipt. di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Puglisi
- ISC-CNR, Institute for Complex Systems, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185, Rome, Italy
- INFN, Unità di Roma Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
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12
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Mo C, Fedosov DA. Hydrodynamic clustering of two finite-length flagellated swimmers in viscoelastic fluids. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220667. [PMID: 36751932 PMCID: PMC9905986 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustering of flagellated microswimmers such as sperm is often mediated by hydrodynamic interactions between them. To better understand the interaction of microswimmers in viscoelastic fluids, we perform two-dimensional simulations of two swimming sheets, using a viscoelastic version of the smoothed dissipative particle dynamics method that implements the Oldroyd-B fluid model. Elasticity of sheets (stiff versus soft) defines two qualitatively different regimes of clustering, where stiff sheets exhibit a much more robust clustering than soft sheets. A formed doublet of soft sheets generally swims faster than a single swimmer, while a pair of two stiff sheets normally shows no speed enhancement after clustering. A pair of two identical swimmers is stable for most conditions, while differences in the beating amplitudes and/or frequencies between the two sheets can destroy the doublet stability. Clustering of two distinct swimmers is most stable at Deborah numbers of De = τω ≈ 1 (τ is the relaxation time of a viscoelastic fluid and ω is the beating frequency), in agreement with experimental observations. Therefore, the clustering of two swimmers depends non-monotonically on De. Our results suggest that the cluster stability is likely a dominant factor which determines the cluster size of collectively moving flagellated swimmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaojie Mo
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Aircraft and Propulsion Laboratory, Ningbo Institute of Technology, Beihang University, Ningbo 315100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dmitry A. Fedosov
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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13
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Huang J, Chen H, Li N, Zhao Y. Emerging microfluidic technologies for sperm sorting. ENGINEERED REGENERATION 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.engreg.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
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14
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Yu SX, Wu Y, Luo H, Liu Y, Chen YC, Wang YJ, Liu W, Tang J, Shi H, Gao H, Jing G, Liu YJ. Escaping Behavior of Sperms on the Biomimetic Oviductal Surface. Anal Chem 2023; 95:2366-2374. [PMID: 36655581 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Before fertilization, sperms adhere to oviductal epithelium cells, and only a restrictive number of winner sperms can escape to reach the egg. To study the sperm escape behavior from the oviductal surface, we developed a microfluidic chip to fabricate an adhesive surface and to create a gradient of progesterone (P4) for mimicking the oviduct microenvironment in vivo. We identified three sperm motion patterns in such a microenvironment─anchored spin, run-and-spin, and escaped mode. By using kinetic analysis, we verified the hypothesis that the responsive rotation energy anchored with the adhered sperm head determines whether the sperm is trapped or detaching, which is defined as the hammer flying strategy of successful escape after accumulating energy in the process of rotating. Intriguingly, this hammer-throw escaping is able to be triggered by the P4 biochemical stimulation. Our results revealed the tangled process of sperm escape before fertilization in the ingenious microfluidic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai-Xi Yu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Hao Luo
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an710069, China
| | - Yanan Liu
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an710069, China
| | - Yu-Chen Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Ya-Jun Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Jianan Tang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Huijuan Shi
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Hai Gao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Guangyin Jing
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an710069, China
| | - Yan-Jun Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
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15
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Locomotion of bovine spermatozoa during the transition from individual cells to bundles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211911120. [PMID: 36638212 PMCID: PMC9934168 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211911120] [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: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Various locomotion strategies employed by microorganisms are observed in complex biological environments. Spermatozoa assemble into bundles to improve their swimming efficiency compared to individual cells. However, the dynamic mechanisms for the formation of sperm bundles have not been fully characterized. In this study, we numerically and experimentally investigate the locomotion of spermatozoa during the transition from individual cells to bundles of two cells. Three consecutive dynamic behaviors are found across the course of the transition: hydrodynamic attraction/repulsion, alignment, and synchronization. The hydrodynamic attraction/repulsion depends on the relative orientation and distance between spermatozoa as well as their flagellar wave patterns and phase shift. Once the heads are attached, we find a stable equilibrium of the rotational hydrodynamics resulting in the alignment of the heads. The synchronization results from the combined influence of hydrodynamic and mechanical cell-to-cell interactions. Additionally, we find that the flagellar beat is regulated by the interactions during the bundle formation, whereby spermatozoa can synchronize their beats to enhance their swimming velocity.
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16
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Liu T, Xie L, Price CAH, Liu J, He Q, Kong B. Controlled propulsion of micro/nanomotors: operational mechanisms, motion manipulation and potential biomedical applications. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:10083-10119. [PMID: 36416191 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00432a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Inspired by natural mobile microorganisms, researchers have developed micro/nanomotors (MNMs) that can autonomously move by transducing different kinds of energies into kinetic energy. The rapid development of MNMs has created tremendous opportunities for biomedical fields including diagnostics, therapeutics, and theranostics. Although the great progress has been made in MNM research, at a fundamental level, the accepted propulsion mechanisms are still a controversial matter. In practical applications such as precision nanomedicine, the precise control of the motion, including the speed and directionality, of MNMs is also important, which makes advanced motion manipulation desirable. Very recently, diverse MNMs with different propulsion strategies, morphologies, sizes, porosities and chemical structures have been fabricated and applied for various uses. Herein, we thoroughly summarize the physical principles behind propulsion strategies, as well as the recent advances in motion manipulation methods and relevant biomedical applications of these MNMs. The current challenges in MNM research are also discussed. We hope this review can provide a bird's eye overview of the MNM research and inspire researchers to create novel and more powerful MNMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China. .,DICP-Surrey Joint Centre for Future Materials, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.
| | - Lei Xie
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Cameron-Alexander Hurd Price
- DICP-Surrey Joint Centre for Future Materials, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.
| | - Jian Liu
- DICP-Surrey Joint Centre for Future Materials, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK. .,State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China.,College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010021, PR China
| | - Qiang He
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
| | - Biao Kong
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China. .,Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000, China
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17
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Soulsbury CD, Humphries S. Biophysical Determinants and Constraints on Sperm Swimming Velocity. Cells 2022; 11:3360. [PMID: 36359756 PMCID: PMC9656961 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the last 50 years, sperm competition has become increasingly recognised as a potent evolutionary force shaping male ejaculate traits. One such trait is sperm swimming speed, with faster sperm associated with increased fertilisation success in some species. Consequently, sperm are often thought to have evolved to be longer in order to facilitate faster movement. However, despite the intrinsic appeal of this argument, sperm operate in a different biophysical environment than we are used to, and instead increasing length may not necessarily be associated with higher velocity. Here, we test four predictive models (ConstantPower Density, Constant Speed, Constant Power Transfer, Constant Force) of the relationship between sperm length and speed. We collated published data on sperm morphology and velocity from 141 animal species, tested for structural clustering of sperm morphology and then compared the model predictions across all morphologically similar sperm clusters. Within four of five morphological clusters of sperm, we did not find a significant positive relationship between total sperm length and velocity. Instead, in four morphological sperm clusters we found evidence for the Constant Speed model, which predicts that power output is determined by the flagellum and so is proportional to flagellum length. Our results show the relationship between sperm morphology (size, width) and swimming speed is complex and that traditional models do not capture the biophysical interactions involved. Future work therefore needs to incorporate not only a better understanding of how sperm operate in the microfluid environment, but also the importance of fertilising environment, i.e., internal and external fertilisers. The microenvironment in which sperm operate is of critical importance in shaping the relationship between sperm length and form and sperm swimming speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl D. Soulsbury
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Green Lane, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
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18
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Sharp turns and gyrotaxis modulate surface accumulation of microorganisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2206738119. [PMID: 36219692 PMCID: PMC9586295 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206738119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations of swimming microorganisms are ubiquitous in aqueous environments from blood vessels to oceans and from biofilms to biotechnological industries, where they routinely encounter solid boundaries. This paper explores experimentally how the presence of boundaries influences the behavior of a marine alga (Heterosigma akashiwo), whose normal trajectories exhibit both random sharp turns and gravitational reorientation (gyrotaxis). Proximity to a plane boundary strongly increases the probability of sharp turns and thereby influences the distributions of swimming speed, angular velocity and, unexpectedly, rotational diffusivity as functions of distance from the boundary and of swimming orientation. These variations all contribute to enhancing accumulation beneath an upper boundary much more than gyrotaxis alone. The accumulation of swimming microorganisms at surfaces is an essential feature of various physical, chemical, and biological processes in confined spaces. To date, this accumulation is mainly assumed to depend on the change of swimming speed and angular velocity caused by cell-wall contact and hydrodynamic interaction. Here, we measured the swimming trajectories of Heterosigma akashiwo (a biflagellate marine alga) near vertical and horizontal rigid boundaries. We observed that the probability of sharp turns is greatly increased near a vertical wall, resulting in significant changes in the distributions of average swimming speed, angular velocity, and rotational diffusivity near the wall (a quantity that has not previously been investigated) as functions of both distance from the wall and swimming orientation. These cannot be satisfactorily explained by standard hydrodynamic models. Detailed examination of an individual cell trajectory shows that wall contact by the leading flagellum triggers complex changes in the behavior of both flagella that cannot be incorporated in a mechanistic model. Our individual-based model for predicting cell concentration using the measured distributions of swimming speed, angular velocity, and rotational diffusivity agrees well with the experiment. The experiments and model are repeated for a cell suspension in a vertical plane, bounded above by a horizontal wall. The cell accumulation beneath the wall, expected from gyrotaxis, is considerably amplified by cell-wall interaction. These findings may shed light on the prediction and control of cell distribution mediated by gyrotaxis and cell-wall contact.
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19
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Phuyal S, Suarez SS, Tung CK. Biological benefits of collective swimming of sperm in a viscoelastic fluid. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:961623. [PMID: 36211471 PMCID: PMC9535079 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.961623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective swimming is evident in the sperm of several mammalian species. In bull (Bos taurus) sperm, high viscoelasticity of the surrounding fluid induces the sperm to form dynamic clusters. Sperm within the clusters swim closely together and align in the same direction, yet the clusters are dynamic because individual sperm swim into and out of them over time. As the fluid in part of the mammalian female reproductive tract contains mucus and, consequently, is highly viscoelastic, this mechanistic clustering likely happens in vivo. Nevertheless, it has been unclear whether clustering could provide any biological benefit. Here, using a microfluidic in vitro model with viscoelastic fluid, we found that the collective swimming of bull sperm in dynamic clusters provides specific biological benefits. In static viscoelastic fluid, clustering allowed sperm to swim in a more progressive manner. When the fluid was made to flow in the range of 2.43-4.05 1/sec shear rate, clustering enhanced the ability of sperm to swim upstream. We also found that the swimming characteristics of sperm in our viscoelastic fluid could not be fully explained by the hydrodynamic model that has been developed for sperm swimming in a low-viscosity, Newtonian fluid. Overall, we found that clustered sperm swam more oriented with each other in the absence of flow, were able to swim upstream under intermediate flows, and better withstood a strong flow than individual sperm. Our results indicate that the clustering of sperm can be beneficial to sperm migrating against an opposing flow of viscoelastic fluid within the female reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Phuyal
- Department of Physics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, United States
- Applied Science and Technology PhD Program, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, United States
| | - Susan S. Suarez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Chih-Kuan Tung
- Department of Physics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, United States
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20
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Yu SX, Liu Y, Wu Y, Luo H, Huang R, Wang YJ, Wang X, Gao H, Shi H, Jing G, Liu YJ. Cervix chip mimicking cervical microenvironment for quantifying sperm locomotion. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 204:114040. [PMID: 35151944 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
As the gate for sperm swimming into the female reproductive tract, cervix is full of cervical mucus, which plays an important role in sperm locomotion. The fact that sperm cannot pass through the cervical mucus-cervix microenvironment will cause the male infertility. However, how the sperm swim across the cervix microenvironment remains elusive. We used hyaluronic acid (HA), a substitute of cervical mucus to mimic cervix microenvironment and designed a cervix chip to study sperm selection and behavior. An accumulation of sperm in HA confirmed that HA served as a reservoir for sperm, similar to cervical mucus. We found that sperm escaping from HA exhibited higher motility than the sperm accessing into HA, suggesting that HA functions as a filter to select sperm with high activity. Our findings construct a practical platform to explore the sophisticated interaction of sperm with cervix microenvironment, with elaborate swimming indicators thus provide a promising cervix chip for sperm selection with kinematic features on-demand. What's more, the cervix chip allows the convenient use in clinical infertility diagnosis, owing to the advantage of simple, fast and high efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai-Xi Yu
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yanan Liu
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hao Luo
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Rufei Huang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Hospital of SIPPR, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ya-Jun Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xuemei Wang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hai Gao
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Huijuan Shi
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Guangyin Jing
- School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Photon Technology in Western China Energy, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China.
| | - Yan-Jun Liu
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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21
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Separation of motile human sperms in a T-shaped sealed microchannel. Biomed Eng Lett 2022; 12:331-342. [PMID: 35892036 PMCID: PMC9308853 DOI: 10.1007/s13534-022-00229-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic methods act as an effective motile sperm separation technique used in infertility treatments. This work presents a standalone microfluidic device to separate motile sperm cells from non-motile sperm cells and debris. The separation mechanism is based on the centrifugal force acting on sperms and the ability of progressive motile sperms to swim upstream. The separation of motile sperm is carried out using a simple T-shaped microchannel which constitutes three reservoirs: one inlet and two outlets. Herein, one of the outlets is kept sealed. The sealed channel leads to a high-velocity gradient and a rheotaxis zone at the T junction resulting in the separation of motile sperms. Separated sperms are isolated in a sealed channel with a low Reynolds number flow so that sperms cannot have a net displacement, which ensures that the sperms do not re-enter the fluid flow. CFD simulation is conducted to study the flow fields inside the channel and experimental investigation is carried to observe the separation behaviour of sperms. The reported device provides 100% sperm separation efficiency and ensures the entrapment of sperm cells for a longer period. A modified colorimetric nitroblue tetrazolium test conducted on separated sperm cells shows that there is only a marginal increase in superoxide (O2 -) production, proving normal sperm integrity. This device offers an effective and safe alternative to conventional sperm sorting methods. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13534-022-00229-9.
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22
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Nosrati R. Lab on a chip devices for fertility: from proof-of-concept to clinical impact. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1680-1689. [PMID: 35417508 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01144h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics offers tremendous opportunities to understand the underlying biology of fertilization at the single-cell level and improve infertility management, however, its true clinical impact is yet to be realized. Lab-on-a-chip devices have generally failed to diffuse into clinical practice due to issues associated with their translation or their practicality and performance in clinical settings. In this perspective, I reflect on how the full potential of microfluidic technologies for fertility can be realized by considering regulatory and manufacturing considerations at the development stage and by redefining our developmental goals to directly target the ultimate clinical needs. I also challenge the common rationale around developing technologies for infertility treatment based on reducing cost and complexity in operation as the ultimate outcome is invaluable, human life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton Campus, VIC 3800, Australia.
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23
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Bickmann J, Bröker S, Jeggle J, Wittkowski R. Analytical approach to chiral active systems: suppressed phase separation of interacting Brownian circle swimmers. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:194904. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0085122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We consider chirality in active systems by exemplarily studying the phase behavior of planar systems of interacting Brownian circle swimmers with a spherical shape. For this purpose, we derive a predictive field theory that is able to describe the collective dynamics of circle swimmers. The theory yields a mapping between circle swimmers and noncircling active Brownian particles and predicts that the angular propulsion of the particles leads to a suppression of their motility-induced phase separation, being in line with recent simulation results. In addition, the theory provides analytical expressions for the spinodal corresponding to the onset of motility-induced phase separation and the associated critical point as well as for their dependence on the angular propulsion of the circle swimmers. We confirm our findings by Brownian dynamics simulations. The agreement between results from theory and simulations is found to be good.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Bickmann
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Fachbereich 11 Physik, Germany
| | - Stephan Bröker
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Fachbereich 11 Physik, Germany
| | - Julian Jeggle
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Fachbereich 11 Physik, Germany
| | - Raphael Wittkowski
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Fachbereich 11 Physik, Germany
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24
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Gai J, Dervisevic E, Devendran C, Cadarso VJ, O'Bryan MK, Nosrati R, Neild A. High-Frequency Ultrasound Boosts Bull and Human Sperm Motility. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2104362. [PMID: 35419997 PMCID: PMC9008414 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Sperm motility is a significant predictor of male fertility potential and is directly linked to fertilization success in both natural and some forms of assisted reproduction. Sperm motility can be impaired by both genetic and environmental factors, with asthenozoospermia being a common clinical presentation. Moreover, in the setting of assisted reproductive technology clinics, there is a distinct absence of effective and noninvasive technology to increase sperm motility without detriment to the sperm cells. Here, a new method is presented to boost sperm motility by increasing the intracellular rate of metabolic activity using high frequency ultrasound. An increase of 34% in curvilinear velocity (VCL), 10% in linearity, and 32% in the number of motile sperm cells is shown by rendering immotile sperm motile, after just 20 s exposure. A similar effect with an increase of 15% in VCL treating human sperm with the same setting is also identified. This cell level mechanotherapy approach causes no significant change in cell viability or DNA fragmentation index, and, as such, has the potential to be applied to encourage natural fertilization or less invasive treatment choices such as in vitro fertilization rather than intracytoplasmic injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyang Gai
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
| | - Esma Dervisevic
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
| | - Citsabehsan Devendran
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
| | - Victor J. Cadarso
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
| | - Moira K. O'Bryan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
- School of BioSciencesFaculty of Sciencethe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoria3010Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringMonash UniversityClaytonVictoria3800Australia
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25
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Acoustics-Actuated Microrobots. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13030481. [PMID: 35334771 PMCID: PMC8949854 DOI: 10.3390/mi13030481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microrobots can operate in tiny areas that traditional bulk robots cannot reach. The combination of acoustic actuation with microrobots extensively expands the application areas of microrobots due to their desirable miniaturization, flexibility, and biocompatibility features. Herein, an overview of the research and development of acoustics-actuated microrobots is provided. We first introduce the currently established manufacturing methods (3D printing and photolithography). Then, according to their different working principles, we divide acoustics-actuated microrobots into three categories including bubble propulsion, sharp-edge propulsion, and in-situ microrotor. Next, we summarize their established applications from targeted drug delivery to microfluidics operation to microsurgery. Finally, we illustrate current challenges and future perspectives to guide research in this field. This work not only gives a comprehensive overview of the latest technology of acoustics-actuated microrobots, but also provides an in-depth understanding of acoustic actuation for inspiring the next generation of advanced robotic devices.
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26
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Sakase M, Harayama H. Involvement of Ca 2+-ATPase in suppressing the appearance of bovine helically motile spermatozoa with intense force prior to cryopreservation. J Reprod Dev 2022; 68:181-189. [PMID: 35236801 PMCID: PMC9184823 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2021-143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In cattle, cryopreserved spermatozoa are generally used for artificial insemination (AI). Many of these specimens exhibit helical movement, although the molecular mechanisms underlying this
phenomenon remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize helically motile spermatozoa, investigate the involvement of Ca2+-ATPase in suppressing the appearance of these
spermatozoa prior to cryopreservation, and examine the potential of helical movement as an index of sperm quality. In the cryopreserved semen, approximately 50% of spermatozoa were helically
motile, whereas approximately 25% were planarly motile. The helically motile samples swam significantly faster than those with planar movement, in both non-viscous medium and viscous medium
containing polyvinylpyrrolidone. In contrast, in non-cryopreserved semen, planarly motile spermatozoa outnumbered those that were helically motile. Fluorescence microscopy with Fluo-3/AM and
propidium iodide showed that flagellar [Ca2+]i was significantly higher in cryopreserved live spermatozoa than in non-cryopreserved live ones. The
percentage of non-cryopreserved helically motile spermatozoa was approximately 25% after washing, and this increased significantly to approximately 50% after treatment with an inhibitor of
sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCAs), “thapsigargin.” Immunostaining showed the presence of SERCAs in sperm necks. Additionally, the percentages of cryopreserved helically
motile spermatozoa showed large inter-bull differences and a significantly positive correlation with post-AI conception rates, indicating that helical movement has the potential to serve as
a predictor of the fertilizing ability of these spermatozoa. These results suggest that SERCAs in the neck suppress the cytoplasmic Ca2+-dependent appearance of helically motile
spermatozoa with intense force in semen prior to cryopreservation.
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Affiliation(s)
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- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Division of Animal Science, Department of Bioresource Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Sakase
- Hokubu Agricultural Technology Institute, Hyogo Prefectural Technology Center for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Hyogo 669-5254, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Harayama
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Division of Animal Science, Department of Bioresource Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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27
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Powar S, Parast FY, Nandagiri A, Gaikwad AS, Potter DL, O'Bryan MK, Prabhakar R, Soria J, Nosrati R. Unraveling the Kinematics of Sperm Motion by Reconstructing the Flagellar Wave Motion in 3D. SMALL METHODS 2022; 6:e2101089. [PMID: 35138044 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202101089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sperm swim through the female reproductive tract by propagating a 3D flagellar wave that is self-regulatory in nature and driven by dynein motors. Traditional microscopy methods fail to capture the full dynamics of sperm flagellar activity as they only image and analyze sperm motility in 2D. Here, an automated platform to analyze sperm swimming behavior in 3D by using thin-lens approximation and high-speed dark field microscopy to reconstruct the flagellar waveform in 3D is presented. It is found that head-tethered mouse sperm exhibit a rolling beating behavior in 3D with the beating frequency of 6.2 Hz using spectral analysis. The flagellar waveform bends in 3D, particularly in the distal regions, but is only weakly nonplanar and ambidextrous in nature, with the local helicity along the flagellum fluctuating between clockwise and counterclockwise handedness. These findings suggest a nonpersistent flagellar helicity. This method provides new opportunities for the accurate measurement of the full motion of eukaryotic flagella and cilia which is essential for a biophysical understanding of their activation by dynein motors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushant Powar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Farin Yazdan Parast
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Ashwin Nandagiri
- IITB-Monash Research Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Avinash S Gaikwad
- School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - David L Potter
- Monash Micro-Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Moira K O'Bryan
- School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Ranganathan Prabhakar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Julio Soria
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
- Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace & Combustion (LTRAC), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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28
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Lesani A, Ramazani Sarbandi I, Mousavi H, Kazemnejad S, Moghimi Zand M. Lower reactive oxygen species production and faster swimming speed of human sperm cells on nanodiamond spin-coated glass substrates. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2022; 110:1391-1399. [PMID: 35080336 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.35007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The sperm selection stage is what assisted reproductive technologies have in common and is crucial as it affects the success of the treatment cycle. The employment of microfluidic platforms for sperm selection has emerged showing promising results. In microfluidic platforms, sperm cells encounter micro-confined environments meanwhile having contact with channel walls and surfaces. Modification of contact surfaces using nanoparticles leads to the alteration of surface characteristics which in turn affects sperm behavior especially motility which is an indicator for sperm health. In this article, we present the results of investigating the motility parameters of sperm cells in contact with surface-modified glass substrates using nanodiamond particles. The results show that the sperm swimming velocities are significantly improved within the range of 12%-52% compared to the control surface (untreated). Reactive oxygen species production is also decreased by 14% justifying the increase in swimming speed. Taken together, bonding these modified surfaces to sperm selection microfluidic devices could enhance their efficiency and further improve their outcomes offering new solutions to patients facing infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Lesani
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Iman Ramazani Sarbandi
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hengameh Mousavi
- Faculty of Physics, Nano Science and Technology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran
| | - Somaieh Kazemnejad
- Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Moghimi Zand
- Small Medical Devices, BioMEMS & LoC Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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29
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Mammalian sperm hyperactivation regulates navigation via physical boundaries and promotes pseudo-chemotaxis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2107500118. [PMID: 34716265 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107500118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian sperm migration within the complex and dynamic environment of the female reproductive tract toward the fertilization site requires navigational mechanisms, through which sperm respond to the tract environment and maintain the appropriate swimming behavior. In the oviduct (fallopian tube), sperm undergo a process called "hyperactivation," which involves switching from a nearly symmetrical, low-amplitude, and flagellar beating pattern to an asymmetrical, high-amplitude beating pattern that is required for fertilization in vivo. Here, exploring bovine sperm motion in high-aspect ratio microfluidic reservoirs as well as theoretical and computational modeling, we demonstrate that sperm hyperactivation, in response to pharmacological agonists, modulates sperm-sidewall interactions and thus navigation via physical boundaries. Prior to hyperactivation, sperm remained swimming along the sidewalls of the reservoirs; however, once hyperactivation caused the intrinsic curvature of sperm to exceed a critical value, swimming along the sidewalls was reduced. We further studied the effect of noise in the intrinsic curvature near the critical value and found that these nonthermal fluctuations yielded an interesting "Run-Stop" motion on the sidewall. Finally, we observed that hyperactivation produced a "pseudo-chemotaxis" behavior, in that sperm stayed longer within microfluidic chambers containing higher concentrations of hyperactivation agonists.
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30
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Driving a Microswimmer with Wall-Induced Flow. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12091025. [PMID: 34577669 PMCID: PMC8471039 DOI: 10.3390/mi12091025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Active walls such as cilia and bacteria carpets generate background flows that can influence the trajectories of microswimmers moving nearby. Recent advances in artificial magnetic cilia carpets offer the potentiality to use a similar wall-generated background flow to steer bio-hybrid microrobots. In this paper, we provide some ground theoretical and numerical work assessing the viability of this novel means of swimmer guidance by setting up a simple model of a spherical swimmer in an oscillatory flow and analysing it from the control theory viewpoint. We show a property of local controllability around the reference free trajectories and investigate the bang-bang structure of the control for time-optimal trajectories, with an estimation of the minimal time for suitable objectives. By direct simulation, we have demonstrated that the wall actuation can improve the wall-following transport by nearly 50%, which can be interpreted by synchronous flow structure. Although an open-loop control with a periodic bang-bang actuation loses some robustness and effectiveness, a feedback control is found to improve its robustness and effective transport, even with hydrodynamic wall-swimmer interactions. The results shed light on the potentialities of flow control and open the way to future experiments on swimmer guidance.
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31
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Gaikwad AS, Nandagiri A, Potter DL, Nosrati R, O'Connor AE, Jadhav S, Soria J, Prabhakar R, O'Bryan MK. CRISPs Function to Boost Sperm Power Output and Motility. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:693258. [PMID: 34422816 PMCID: PMC8374954 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.693258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertilization requires sperm to travel long distances through the complex environment of the female reproductive tract. Despite the strong association between poor motility and infertility, the kinetics of sperm tail movement and the role individual proteins play in this process is poorly understood. Here, we use a high spatiotemporal sperm imaging system and an analysis protocol to define the role of CRISPs in the mechanobiology of sperm function. Each of CRISP1, CRISP2, and CRISP4 is required to optimize sperm flagellum waveform. Each plays an autonomous role in defining beat frequency, flexibility, and power dissipation. We thus posit that the expansion of the CRISP family from one member in basal vertebrates, to three in most mammals, and four in numerous rodents, represents an example of neofunctionalization wherein proteins with a common core function, boosting power output, have evolved to optimize different aspects of sperm tail performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash S Gaikwad
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ashwin Nandagiri
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India.,Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - David L Potter
- Monash Micro Imaging - Advanced Optical Microscopy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Anne E O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Sameer Jadhav
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Julio Soria
- Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace & Combustion (LTRAC), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Ranganathan Prabhakar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Moira K O'Bryan
- School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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RAZAVI SEYEDESMAIL, FARHANGMEHR VAHID, MARANDI ELIAS. MODELING OF FLAGELLUM BEHAVIOR AND TWO-DIMENSIONAL SPERM CELL MOTILITY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF FLUID–SOLID INTERACTIONS. J MECH MED BIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1142/s0219519421500524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the flagellar motility of a swimmer microorganism as a model of a human sperm cell, inside a two-dimensional channel as a model of the female reproductive tract containing a viscous fluid, is numerically investigated. The Navier–Stokes equations governing the fluid are coupled with the equations governing the models flagellum via applying a fluid–solid interaction approach and then solved using the finite element method. To stimulate the flagellum to move, a prescribed sinusoidal waveform is applied to it. The strain induced by this waveform along the flagellum initiates a continuous interaction between the flagellum and the fluid. The simulations are validated using data available in the literature. A very good agreement is seen between them. The results show that by decreasing the Young modulus of the flagellum as well as increasing the fluid viscosity, the swimming velocity of the model significantly decreases. It is found that for lower Young modulus of the flagellum, the effect of the fluid viscosity on the flagellar deformation is stronger. It is also found that for higher amplitude of the waveform applied to stimulate the flagellum, both the swimming velocity of the model and the average work rate are greater. Moreover, it is found that in a channel with a smaller height, the model swims at a higher speed and with a higher average work rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- SEYED ESMAIL RAZAVI
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, East Azarbaijan, Iran
| | - VAHID FARHANGMEHR
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, East Azarbaijan, Iran
| | - ELIAS MARANDI
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, East Azarbaijan, Iran
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33
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Dai C, Zhang Z, Shan G, Chu LT, Huang Z, Moskovtsev S, Librach C, Jarvi K, Sun Y. Advances in sperm analysis: techniques, discoveries and applications. Nat Rev Urol 2021; 18:447-467. [PMID: 34075227 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-021-00472-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Infertility affects one in six couples worldwide, and fertility continues to deteriorate globally, partly owing to a decline in semen quality. Sperm analysis has a central role in diagnosing and treating male factor infertility. Many emerging techniques, such as digital holography, super-resolution microscopy and next-generation sequencing, have been developed that enable improved analysis of sperm motility, morphology and genetics to help overcome limitations in accuracy and consistency, and improve sperm selection for infertility treatment. These techniques have also improved our understanding of fundamental sperm physiology by enabling discoveries in sperm behaviour and molecular structures. Further progress in sperm analysis and integrating these techniques into laboratories and clinics requires multidisciplinary collaboration, which will increase discovery and improve clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changsheng Dai
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zhuoran Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Guanqiao Shan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lap-Tak Chu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zongjie Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | - Keith Jarvi
- Division of Urology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Yu Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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34
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Moreau C, Ishimoto K, Gaffney EA, Walker BJ. Control and controllability of microswimmers by a shearing flow. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211141. [PMID: 34430052 PMCID: PMC8355676 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
With the continuing rapid development of artificial microrobots and active particles, questions of microswimmer guidance and control are becoming ever more relevant and prevalent. In both the applications and theoretical study of such microscale swimmers, control is often mediated by an engineered property of the swimmer, such as in the case of magnetically propelled microrobots. In this work, we will consider a modality of control that is applicable in more generality, effecting guidance via modulation of a background fluid flow. Here, considering a model swimmer in a commonplace flow and simple geometry, we analyse and subsequently establish the efficacy of flow-mediated microswimmer positional control, later touching upon a question of optimal control. Moving beyond idealized notions of controllability and towards considerations of practical utility, we then evaluate the robustness of this control modality to sources of variation that may be present in applications, examining in particular the effects of measurement inaccuracy and rotational noise. This exploration gives rise to a number of cautionary observations, which, overall, demonstrate the need for the careful assessment of both policy and behavioural robustness when designing control schemes for use in practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Moreau
- Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Kenta Ishimoto
- Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eamonn A. Gaffney
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Benjamin J. Walker
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
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35
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Gaffney EA, Ishimoto K, Walker BJ. Modelling Motility: The Mathematics of Spermatozoa. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:710825. [PMID: 34354994 PMCID: PMC8329702 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.710825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In one of the first examples of how mechanics can inform axonemal mechanism, Machin's study in the 1950s highlighted that observations of sperm motility cannot be explained by molecular motors in the cell membrane, but would instead require motors distributed along the flagellum. Ever since, mechanics and hydrodynamics have been recognised as important in explaining the dynamics, regulation, and guidance of sperm. More recently, the digitisation of sperm videomicroscopy, coupled with numerous modelling and methodological advances, has been bringing forth a new era of scientific discovery in this field. In this review, we survey these advances before highlighting the opportunities that have been generated for both recent research and the development of further open questions, in terms of the detailed characterisation of the sperm flagellum beat and its mechanics, together with the associated impact on cell behaviour. In particular, diverse examples are explored within this theme, ranging from how collective behaviours emerge from individual cell responses, including how these responses are impacted by the local microenvironment, to the integration of separate advances in the fields of flagellar analysis and flagellar mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamonn A. Gaffney
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kenta Ishimoto
- Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Benjamin J. Walker
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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36
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Gong A, Rode S, Gompper G, Kaupp UB, Elgeti J, Friedrich BM, Alvarez L. Reconstruction of the three-dimensional beat pattern underlying swimming behaviors of sperm. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2021; 44:87. [PMID: 34196906 PMCID: PMC8249298 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00076-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic flagellum propels sperm cells and simultaneously detects physical and chemical cues that modulate the waveform of the flagellar beat. Most previous studies have characterized the flagellar beat and swimming trajectories in two space dimensions (2D) at a water/glass interface. Here, using refined holographic imaging methods, we report high-quality recordings of three-dimensional (3D) flagellar bending waves. As predicted by theory, we observed that an asymmetric and planar flagellar beat results in a circular swimming path, whereas a symmetric and non-planar flagellar beat results in a twisted-ribbon swimming path. During swimming in 3D, human sperm flagella exhibit torsion waves characterized by maxima at the low curvature regions of the flagellar wave. We suggest that these torsion waves are common in nature and that they are an intrinsic property of beating axonemes. We discuss how 3D beat patterns result in twisted-ribbon swimming paths. This study provides new insight into the axoneme dynamics, the 3D flagellar beat, and the resulting swimming behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gong
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Molecular Sensory Systems, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - S Rode
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - G Gompper
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - U B Kaupp
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Molecular Sensory Systems, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany.
| | - J Elgeti
- Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - B M Friedrich
- Biological Algorithms Group, TU Dresden, Cluster of Excellence 'Physics of Life' and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Helmholtzstr. 18, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - L Alvarez
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Molecular Sensory Systems, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175, Bonn, Germany.
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37
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Khanal S, Leung MR, Royfman A, Fishman EL, Saltzman B, Bloomfield-Gadêlha H, Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T, Avidor-Reiss T. A dynamic basal complex modulates mammalian sperm movement. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3808. [PMID: 34155206 PMCID: PMC8217517 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive success depends on efficient sperm movement driven by axonemal dynein-mediated microtubule sliding. Models predict sliding at the base of the tail - the centriole - but such sliding has never been observed. Centrioles are ancient organelles with a conserved architecture; their rigidity is thought to restrict microtubule sliding. Here, we show that, in mammalian sperm, the atypical distal centriole (DC) and its surrounding atypical pericentriolar matrix form a dynamic basal complex (DBC) that facilitates a cascade of internal sliding deformations, coupling tail beating with asymmetric head kinking. During asymmetric tail beating, the DC's right side and its surroundings slide ~300 nm rostrally relative to the left side. The deformation throughout the DBC is transmitted to the head-tail junction; thus, the head tilts to the left, generating a kinking motion. These findings suggest that the DBC evolved as a dynamic linker coupling sperm head and tail into a single self-coordinated system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushil Khanal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Miguel Ricardo Leung
- The Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Abigail Royfman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Emily L Fishman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Barbara Saltzman
- School of Population Health, College of Health and Human Services, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Hermes Bloomfield-Gadêlha
- Department of Engineering Mathematics and Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai
- The Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Tomer Avidor-Reiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
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38
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Raveshi MR, Abdul Halim MS, Agnihotri SN, O'Bryan MK, Neild A, Nosrati R. Curvature in the reproductive tract alters sperm-surface interactions. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3446. [PMID: 34103509 PMCID: PMC8187733 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23773-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The fallopian tube is lined with a highly complex folded epithelium surrounding a lumen that progressively narrows. To study the influence of this labyrinthine complexity on sperm behavior, we use droplet microfluidics to create soft curved interfaces over a range of curvatures corresponding to the in vivo environment. We reveal a dynamic response mechanism in sperm, switching from a progressive surface-aligned motility mode at low curvatures (larger droplets), to an aggressive surface-attacking mode at high curvatures (smaller droplets of <50 µm-radius). We show that sperm in the attacking mode swim ~33% slower, spend 1.66-fold longer at the interface and have a 66% lower beating amplitude than in the progressive mode. These findings demonstrate that surface curvature within the fallopian tube alters sperm motion from a faster surface aligned locomotion in distal regions to a prolonged physical contact with the epithelium near the site of fertilization, the latter being known to promote capacitation and fertilization competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Reza Raveshi
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Melati S Abdul Halim
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Sagar N Agnihotri
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- IITB-Monash Research Academy, IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Moira K O'Bryan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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39
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Wang P, Al Azad MAR, Yang X, Martelli PR, Cheung KY, Shi J, Shen Y. Self-adaptive and efficient propulsion of Ray sperms at different viscosities enabled by heterogeneous dual helixes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2024329118. [PMID: 34088836 PMCID: PMC8201849 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024329118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We disclose a peculiar rotational propulsion mechanism of Ray sperms enabled by its unusual heterogeneous dual helixes with a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, named Heterogeneous Dual Helixes (HDH) model for short. Different from the conventional beating propulsion of sperm, the propulsion of Ray sperms is from both the rotational motion of the soft helical tail and the rigid spiral head. Such heterogeneous dual helical propulsion style provides the Ray sperm with high adaptability in viscous solutions along with advantages in linearity, straightness, and bidirectional motion. This HDH model is further corroborated by a miniature swimming robot actuated via a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, which demonstrates similar superiorities over conventional ones in terms of adaptability and efficiency under the same power input. Such findings expand our knowledge on microorganisms' motion, motivate further studies on natural fertilization, and inspire engineering designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panbing Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - M A R Al Azad
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiong Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Kam Yan Cheung
- Veterinary Department, Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiahai Shi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shen Zhen, China
- Tung Biomedical Sciences Center, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yajing Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shen Zhen, China
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40
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Tung CK, Suarez SS. Co-Adaptation of Physical Attributes of the Mammalian Female Reproductive Tract and Sperm to Facilitate Fertilization. Cells 2021; 10:cells10061297. [PMID: 34073739 PMCID: PMC8225031 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The functions of the female reproductive tract not only encompass sperm migration, storage, and fertilization, but also support the transport and development of the fertilized egg through to the birth of offspring. Further, because the tract is open to the external environment, it must also provide protection against invasive pathogens. In biophysics, sperm are considered “pusher microswimmers”, because they are propelled by pushing fluid behind them. This type of swimming by motile microorganisms promotes the tendency to swim along walls and upstream in gentle fluid flows. Thus, the architecture of the walls of the female tract, and the gentle flows created by cilia, can guide sperm migration. The viscoelasticity of the fluids in the tract, such as mucus secretions, also promotes the cooperative swimming of sperm that can improve fertilization success; at the same time, the mucus can also impede the invasion of pathogens. This review is focused on how the mammalian female reproductive tract and sperm interact physically to facilitate the movement of sperm to the site of fertilization. Knowledge of female/sperm interactions can not only explain how the female tract can physically guide sperm to the fertilization site, but can also be applied for the improvement of in vitro fertilization devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Kuan Tung
- Department of Physics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Susan S. Suarez
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
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41
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Nandagiri A, Gaikwad AS, Potter DL, Nosrati R, Soria J, O'Bryan MK, Jadhav S, Prabhakar R. Flagellar energetics from high-resolution imaging of beating patterns in tethered mouse sperm. eLife 2021; 10:62524. [PMID: 33929317 PMCID: PMC8159377 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate a technique for investigating the energetics of flagella or cilia. We record the planar beating of tethered mouse sperm at high resolution. Beating waveforms are reconstructed using proper orthogonal decomposition of the centerline tangent-angle profiles. Energy conservation is employed to obtain the mechanical power exerted by the dynein motors from the observed kinematics. A large proportion of the mechanical power exerted by the dynein motors is dissipated internally by the motors themselves. There could also be significant dissipation within the passive structures of the flagellum. The total internal dissipation is considerably greater than the hydrodynamic dissipation in the aqueous medium outside. The net power input from the dynein motors in sperm from Crisp2-knockout mice is significantly smaller than in wildtype samples, indicating that ion-channel regulation by cysteine-rich secretory proteins controls energy flows powering the axoneme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin Nandagiri
- IITB-Monash Research Academy, Mumbai, India.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India.,Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | | | - David L Potter
- Monash Micro-Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Julio Soria
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Moira K O'Bryan
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sameer Jadhav
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Ranganathan Prabhakar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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42
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Xiao S, Riordon J, Simchi M, Lagunov A, Hannam T, Jarvi K, Nosrati R, Sinton D. FertDish: microfluidic sperm selection-in-a-dish for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:775-783. [PMID: 33507191 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00874e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The selection of high quality sperm is critical for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a prevalent assisted reproduction technology. However, standard selection methods are time-consuming and fail to recover the most viable sperm, thereby limiting the ICSI success rate. Microfluidics enables rapid selection of viable sperm in a manner representing in vivo processes, however, existing platforms lack clinical applicability. Here, we present FertDish, which integrates the clinically established ICSI Petri dish with a film featuring an array of sperm-selecting microchannels for selection of sperm directly from semen. The FertDish format mimics the clinician-familiar ICSI dish setup, and provides rapid (<10 min) single stage sperm preparation that circumvents standard labour-intensive multi-stage sperm processing steps. Tests with human donor and patient semen samples show that FertDish enables the selection of a high quality sperm sub-population, featuring improvements in DNA fragmentation index of more than 91% (donor) and 74% (patient) versus raw semen and 50% (donor) and 63% (patient) versus standard methods, and a distribution of more than 97% sperm with viable and high level DNA. The FertDish enables a high sperm recovery rate (>3.3 × 105 sperm per mL), and is readily adaptable to the clinical workflow with potential to improve ICSI outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sa Xiao
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
| | - Jason Riordon
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
| | - Mohammad Simchi
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
| | - Alexander Lagunov
- Hannam Fertility Centre, 160 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3R2, Canada
| | - Thomas Hannam
- Hannam Fertility Centre, 160 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3R2, Canada
| | - Keith Jarvi
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, 60 Murray Street, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9, Canada
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, 20 Research Way, Clayton Campus, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - David Sinton
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
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43
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Luo G, Hou M, Wang B, Liu Z, Liu W, Han T, Zhang D, Zhou X, Jia W, Tan Y, Wu Y, Wang J, Zhang X. Tsga10 is essential for arrangement of mitochondrial sheath and male fertility in mice. Andrology 2021; 9:368-375. [PMID: 32790169 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Male infertility is a major issue in human reproduction health, yet known genetic factors are only responsible for a small fraction of cases. TSGA10 is a testis-specific protein that is highly conserved among different species. A previous study has reported a homozygous mutation in TSGA10 in a male infertile patient; however, function analysis of Tsga10 genes in knockout mice has not yet been undertaken. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present work was to analyse the function of TSGA10 protein in the spermatogenesis of Tsga10+/- mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tsga10+/- mice were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology, in vitro fertilization (IVF), western blot, co-immunoprecipitation and other methods were used to the function analysis. RESULTS Heterozygous Tsga10 male mice created by CRISPR/Cas9 were infertile and presented significantly reduced sperm motility because of disordered mitochondrial sheath formation. Furthermore, TSGA10 can interact with GRP78 and NSUN2, which are associated with peri-implantation lethality and the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) network. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION We demonstrate that deficiency of Tsga10 gene can lead to male infertility in mice. TSGA10 is involved in the correct arrangement of mitochondrial sheath in spermatozoa. Future studies on TSGA10 include an in-depth exploration of the underlying mechanisms of TSGA10 in spermatogenesis, early embryonic development and GnRH network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geng Luo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Meiqi Hou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenxing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenqiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Tiantian Han
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Dazhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaopei Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Weimin Jia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Tan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanling Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiarui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xianqin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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44
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Giojalas LC, Guidobaldi HA. Getting to and away from the egg, an interplay between several sperm transport mechanisms and a complex oviduct physiology. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:110954. [PMID: 32738445 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the architecture and physiology of the oviduct are very complex, and one long-lasting intriguing question is how spermatozoa are transported from the sperm reservoir in the isthmus to the oocyte surface. In recent decades, several studies have improved knowledge of the factors affecting oviduct fluid movement and sperm transport. They report sperm-guiding mechanisms that move the spermatozoa towards (rheotaxis, thermotaxis, and chemotaxis) or away from the egg surface (chemorepulsion), but only a few provide evidence of their occurrence in vivo. This gives rise to several questions: how and when do the sperm transport mechanisms operate inside such an active oviduct? why are there so many sperm guidance processes? is one dominant over the others, or do they cooperate to optimise the success of fertilisation? Assuming that sperm guidance evolved alongside oviduct physiology, in this review we propose a theoretical model that integrates oviduct complexity in space and time with the sperm-orienting mechanisms. In addition, since all of the sperm-guidance processes recruit spermatozoa in a better physiological condition than those not selected, they could potentially be incorporated into assisted reproductive technology (ART) to improve fertility treatment and/or to develop innovative contraceptive methods. All these issues are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cecilia Giojalas
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular (FCEFyN- UNC), and Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET - UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Héctor Alejandro Guidobaldi
- Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular (FCEFyN- UNC), and Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET - UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
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45
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Gai J, Nosrati R, Neild A. High DNA integrity sperm selection using surface acoustic waves. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:4262-4272. [PMID: 33073274 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00457j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Male infertility is a global reproductive issue, several clinical approaches have been developed to tackle it, but their effectiveness is limited by the labour-intensive and time-consuming sperm selection procedures used. Here, we present an automated, acoustic based continuous-flow method capable of selecting high quality sperm with considerably improved motility and DNA integrity compared to the initial raw bull semen. The acoustic field translates larger sperm and guides highly motile sperm across the channel width. The result is the selection of sperm with over 50% and 60% improvement in vitality and progressive motility and more than 38% improvement in DNA integrity, respectively, while providing a clinically relevant volume and selected sperm number for the performance of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) by selecting over 60 000 sperm in under an hour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyang Gai
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Adrian Neild
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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46
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Um E, Kim M, Kim H, Kang JH, Stone HA, Jeong J. Phase synchronization of fluid-fluid interfaces as hydrodynamically coupled oscillators. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5221. [PMID: 33060604 PMCID: PMC7562928 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18930-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrodynamic interactions play a role in synchronized motions of coupled oscillators in fluids, and understanding the mechanism will facilitate development of applications in fluid mechanics. For example, synchronization phenomenon in two-phase flow will benefit the design of future microfluidic devices, allowing spatiotemporal control of microdroplet generation without additional integration of control elements. In this work, utilizing a characteristic oscillation of adjacent interfaces between two immiscible fluids in a microfluidic platform, we discover that the system can act as a coupled oscillator, notably showing spontaneous in-phase synchronization of droplet breakup. With this observation of in-phase synchronization, the coupled droplet generator exhibits a complete set of modes of coupled oscillators, including out-of-phase synchronization and nonsynchronous modes. We present a theoretical model to elucidate how a negative feedback mechanism, tied to the distance between the interfaces, induces the in-phase synchronization. We also identify the criterion for the transition from in-phase to out-of-phase oscillations. The robust production of droplets by microfluidic T-junctions is a well-established technique. Um et al. demonstrate how the mutual interaction between droplets can be used to achieve additional control including the simultaneous release of droplets caused by synchronization phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eujin Um
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea.
| | - Minjun Kim
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyoungsoo Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo H Kang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Howard A Stone
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Joonwoo Jeong
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea.
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47
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Sprenger AR, Shaik VA, Ardekani AM, Lisicki M, Mathijssen AJTM, Guzmán-Lastra F, Löwen H, Menzel AM, Daddi-Moussa-Ider A. Towards an analytical description of active microswimmers in clean and in surfactant-covered drops. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2020; 43:58. [PMID: 32920676 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2020-11980-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Geometric confinements are frequently encountered in the biological world and strongly affect the stability, topology, and transport properties of active suspensions in viscous flow. Based on a far-field analytical model, the low-Reynolds-number locomotion of a self-propelled microswimmer moving inside a clean viscous drop or a drop covered with a homogeneously distributed surfactant, is theoretically examined. The interfacial viscous stresses induced by the surfactant are described by the well-established Boussinesq-Scriven constitutive rheological model. Moreover, the active agent is represented by a force dipole and the resulting fluid-mediated hydrodynamic couplings between the swimmer and the confining drop are investigated. We find that the presence of the surfactant significantly alters the dynamics of the encapsulated swimmer by enhancing its reorientation. Exact solutions for the velocity images for the Stokeslet and dipolar flow singularities inside the drop are introduced and expressed in terms of infinite series of harmonic components. Our results offer useful insights into guiding principles for the control of confined active matter systems and support the objective of utilizing synthetic microswimmers to drive drops for targeted drug delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R Sprenger
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Vaseem A Shaik
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 47907, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Arezoo M Ardekani
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 47907, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Maciej Lisicki
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Arnold J T M Mathijssen
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, 443 Via Ortega, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, 209 South 33rd Street, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Francisca Guzmán-Lastra
- Centro de Investigación DAiTA Lab, Facultad de Estudios Interdisciplinarios, Universidad Mayor, Av. Manuel Montt 367, Providencia, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Hartmut Löwen
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andreas M Menzel
- Institut für Physik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Abdallah Daddi-Moussa-Ider
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
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48
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Guasto JS, Estrada JB, Menolascina F, Burton LJ, Patel M, Franck C, Hosoi AE, Zimmer RK, Stocker R. Flagellar kinematics reveals the role of environment in shaping sperm motility. J R Soc Interface 2020; 17:20200525. [PMID: 32900303 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Swimming spermatozoa from diverse organisms often have very similar morphologies, yet different motilities as a result of differences in the flagellar waveforms used for propulsion. The origin of these differences has remained largely unknown. Using high-speed video microscopy and mathematical analysis of flagellar shape dynamics, we quantitatively compare sperm flagellar waveforms from marine invertebrates to humans by means of a novel phylokinematic tree. This new approach revealed that genetically dissimilar sperm can exhibit strikingly similar flagellar waveforms and identifies two dominant flagellar waveforms among the deuterostomes studied here, corresponding to internal and external fertilizers. The phylokinematic tree shows marked discordance from the phylogenetic tree, indicating that physical properties of the fluid environment, more than genetic relatedness, act as an important selective pressure in shaping the evolution of sperm motility. More broadly, this work provides a physical axis to complement morphological and genetic studies to understand evolutionary relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Guasto
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Jonathan B Estrada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Filippo Menolascina
- School of Engineering, Institute for Bioengineering, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, EH9 3BF Edinburgh, UK.,Synthsy - Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, EH9 3BF Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lisa J Burton
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Mohak Patel
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Christian Franck
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - A E Hosoi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Richard K Zimmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia
| | - Roman Stocker
- Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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49
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Gadêlha H, Hernández-Herrera P, Montoya F, Darszon A, Corkidi G. Human sperm uses asymmetric and anisotropic flagellar controls to regulate swimming symmetry and cell steering. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba5168. [PMID: 32789171 PMCID: PMC7399739 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Flagellar beating drives sperm through the female reproductive tract and is vital for reproduction. Flagellar waves are generated by thousands of asymmetric molecular components; yet, paradoxically, forward swimming arises via symmetric side-to-side flagellar movement. This led to the preponderance of symmetric flagellar control hypotheses. However, molecular asymmetries must still dictate the flagellum and be manifested in the beat. Here, we reconcile molecular and microscopic observations, reconnecting structure to function, by showing that human sperm uses asymmetric and anisotropic controls to swim. High-speed three-dimensional (3D) microscopy revealed two coactive transversal controls: An asymmetric traveling wave creates a one-sided stroke, and a pulsating standing wave rotates the sperm to move equally on all sides. Symmetry is thus achieved through asymmetry, creating the optical illusion of bilateral symmetry in 2D microscopy. This shows that the sperm flagellum is asymmetrically controlled and anisotropically regularized by fast-signal transduction. This enables the sperm to swim forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermes Gadêlha
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, BS8 1UB Bristol, UK
| | - Paul Hernández-Herrera
- Laboratorio de Imágenes y Visión por Computadora, Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Fernando Montoya
- Laboratorio de Imágenes y Visión por Computadora, Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Alberto Darszon
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Gabriel Corkidi
- Laboratorio de Imágenes y Visión por Computadora, Departamento de Ingeniería Celular y Biocatálisis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Mexico
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50
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Bukatin A, Denissenko P, Kantsler V. Self-organization and multi-line transport of human spermatozoa in rectangular microchannels due to cell-cell interactions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9830. [PMID: 32555273 PMCID: PMC7299960 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66803-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The journey of sperm navigation towards ovum is one of the most important questions in mammalian fertilisation and reproduction. However, we know very little about spermatozoa propagation in a complex fluidic, chemical and topographic environment of a fertility tract. Using microfluidics techniques, we investigate the influence of cell-cell interactions on spermatozoa swimming behavior in constrained environment at different concentrations. Our study shows that at high enough cell concentration the interaction between boundary-following cells leads to formation of areas with preferential direction of cell swimming. In the microchannel of a rectangular cross-section, this leads to formation of a “four-lane” swimming pattern with the asymmetry of the cell distribution of up to 40%. We propose that this is caused by the combination of cell-cell collisions in the corners of the microchannel and the existence of morphologically different spermatozoa: slightly asymmetric cells with trajectories curved left and the symmetric ones, with trajectories curved right. Our findings suggest that cell-cell interactions in highly folded environment of mammalian reproductive tract are important for spermatozoa swimming behavior and play role in selection of highly motile cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bukatin
- Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
| | - P Denissenko
- School of Engeneering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - V Kantsler
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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