A low conductivity culture medium suitable for the evaluation of sperm motility

摘要

A novel culture medium of low conductivity suitable for dielectrophoretic selection of sperm was developed. Conventional IVF methods lack the capability of selecting the expected sperms and the embryonic development may be adversely affected to certain extent. Dielectrophoresis (DEP), a technique commonly applied in cell manipulation [1], may provide an alternative. However, the conventional 1VF medium has a high conductivity, which may result in the unexpected heating effect during DEP causing damage to the gametes. The newly developed medium consists of sucrose, HEPES, BSA and low concentrations of ions. The conductivity of this medium is significantly lower than the conventional IVF medium. Motility and membrane integrality of the mouse sperm were tested in the low-conductivity medium, demonstrating an acceptable percent rate of motile sperm compared to the control groups.