Exposure to Cumulus Cell Secretome Improves Sperm Function: New Perspectives for Sperm Selection In Vitro

In the literature, there is a well-known correlation between poor semen quality and DNA sperm integrity, which can turn into negative outcomes in terms of embryo development and clinical pregnancy. Sperm selection plays a pivotal role in clinical practice, and the most widely used methods are mainly...

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Published in:	Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 19; p. 2349
Main Authors:	Luongo, Francesca Paola, Perez Casasus, Silvia, Haxhiu, Alesandro, Barbarulo, Fabio, Scarcella, Marta, Governini, Laura, Piomboni, Paola, Scarica, Catello, Luddi, Alice
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Basel MDPI AG 25-09-2023 MDPI
Subjects:	Acrosome reaction Capacitation cumulus cells DNA damage Fertility Fertilization Fertilization in vitro, Human Health aspects Hospitals Hyaluronic acid In vitro fertilization Infertility Methods Mitochondrial DNA Morphology Motility Oocytes oxygen consumption Phosphorylation Proteins Secretome Sperm sperm selection Spermatozoa Tyrosine tyrosine phosphorylation Zona pellucida Italy United States > US
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Summary:	In the literature, there is a well-known correlation between poor semen quality and DNA sperm integrity, which can turn into negative outcomes in terms of embryo development and clinical pregnancy. Sperm selection plays a pivotal role in clinical practice, and the most widely used methods are mainly based on sperm motility and morphology. The cumulus oophorus complex (COC) during natural fertilization represents a barrier that spermatozoa must overcome to reach the zona pellucida and fertilize the oocyte. Spermatozoa that can pass through the COC have better structural and metabolic characteristics as well as enhanced acrosome reaction (AR). The present study aimed to evaluate the exposure of sperm to cumulus cell secretome during swim-up treatment (SUC) compared with the routinely used swim-up method (SU). To determine the effectiveness of this method, biological factors critical for the ability of sperm to fertilize an oocyte, including capacitation, AR, tyrosine phosphorylation signature, DNA integrity, and mitochondrial functionality, were assessed. The SUC selection assures recovery of high-quality spermatozoa, with enhanced mitochondrial functionality and motility compared with both SU-selected and unselected (U) sperm. Furthermore, using this modified swim-up procedure, significantly reduced sperm DNA damage (p < 0.05) was detected. In conclusion, the SUC approach is a more physiological and integrated method for sperm selection that deserves further investigation for its translation into clinical practice.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 These authors contributed equally to this work as joint first authors.
ISSN:	2073-4409 2073-4409
DOI:	10.3390/cells12192349