Sperm motility increased after the application of ultrasound, scientists have discovered.
Sperm motility is a measure of the speed at which a sperm can move, and it's a critical factor in the fertilisation of the egg during conception. Scientists from Monash University, Australia, found that after the application of bursts of ultrasound waves, sperm exhibited a more than three-fold increase in motility.
'Ultrasound not only increased the swimming velocity of sperm but also promoted almost two-thirds of lower grade sperm to a higher motility grade. Sperm with low motility before we applied ultrasound showed the greatest increase in motility after ultrasound exposure.' said Ali Vafaie, PhD candidate at Monash University and first author of the study.
The researchers, from the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Monash University, categorised sperm samples from three men into three groups based on their motility: 26 percent were fast, 38 percent were slow, and 36 percent were non-progressive.
The sperm was then trapped in a microdroplet and, while viewed under a microscope, exposed for twenty seconds to high-frequency ultrasound. Afterwards, the sperm motility increased by 266 percent, with the proportion of fast sperm rising from 26 percent to 48 percent. The researchers noted that the slow sperm exhibited the highest increase in speed compared to non-progressive and fast sperm. Furthermore, the proportion of non-progressive sperm decreased to ten percent from 38 percent.
The researchers observed no effects on the DNA of the sperm following the ultrasound application.
The scientists hypothesise in their paper published in Scientific Reports, that the sperm's mitochondrial activity is significantly increased during and after ultrasound, which leads to a greater production of ATP, which facilitates increased sperm motility.
Sperm immotility (asthenozoospermia) is one of the most common reasons for male infertility. It affects one in 35 men and accounts for 30 percent of all infertility cases for both genders. An increase in sperm motility by just ten percent can result in an eight percent increase in the chance of pregnancy.
The scientists propose that their results hold great promise for couples undergoing assisted reproduction.
'By making immotile sperm motile and motile sperm more motile, we can help more patients meet the minimum requirements to have conventional IVF rather than more invasive and costly options like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into each egg using a very fine needle,' said Dr Reza Nosrati, director of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Monash University.
Sources and References
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Making immotile sperm motile using high-frequency ultrasound
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Ultrasound jolts lazy sperm to life, offering hope in male infertility
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New research discovers technique can boost sluggish sperm by 266%
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An ultrasound zap could help sluggish sperm to swim faster and boost the success of IVF procedures, study finds
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