Mears, M., Kennelly, T.M., Geoghegan, M. et al. (3 more authors) (2014) Reduced curvilinear velocity of boar sperm on substrates with increased hydrophobicity. Theriogenology, 81 (5). 764 - 769. ISSN 0093-691X
Abstract
The curvilinear velocity (VCL) of boar spermatozoa between standard microscopy glassware decreases when the slides are coated with the hydrophobic polymer polystyrene (PS) compared with the less hydrophobic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) coating. Sperm from three boars were observed and analyzed using particle tracking software. The VCL did not differ significantly between coatings of different thickness, indicating no penetration of the sperm into the coating and that only the surface layer of the polymer film interacts with the sperm and buffer medium. The VCL of sperm between PS-coated surfaces was significantly reduced compared with PMMA surfaces (P < 0.0001), and this was attributed to a stronger hydrophobic effect between PS and water. The size of this effect varied between different boars, perhaps as a consequence of variations in hydrophobicity of sperm from different boars or different ejaculates. The modification of surface properties in this way may improve our understanding of sperm behavior and may provide improvements to assisted conception techniques as animal or human sperm used in assisted conception are frequently manipulated in laboratory plastics as part of diagnostic procedures (e.g., semen analysis) or before injection into an oocyte or during the co-incubation with the oocyte in IVF. Controlling the velocity of sperm using the interaction properties of inert polymer coatings could lead to new sperm selection procedures for clinical use or the development of model systems to better understand sperm-surface interactions. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2014 Elsevier Inc. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Theriogenology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Department of Human Metabolism (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Jun 2014 15:13 |
Last Modified: | 22 Mar 2018 07:28 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2013.12... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2013.12.014 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:79453 |