Colloid Centrifugation of Semen: Applications in Assisted Reproduction

Abstract

Colloid centrifugation can be used to separate heterogeneous populations of cells particularly se-men samples, which typically contain mixtures of spermatozoa at different stage of maturity to-gether with dead and dying spermatozoa and also non-sperm cells. Colloids can be used to enrich the population of spermatozoa that are viable and functional; these are the spermatozoa that are needed for fertilization in Assisted Reproduction. Sperm samples obtained after colloid centrifu-gation may be enriched for motile, morphologically normal spermatozoa with intact chromatin. Insemination of mares with stallion sperm samples prepared by colloid centrifugation resulted in a higher pregnancy rate per cycle than controls, confirming that the good sperm attributes ob-served in the laboratory were indicative of functional spermatozoa. The method does not simply enrich for viable spermatozoa by inhibiting dead or dying spermatozoa from passing through the colloid since emerging evidence shows that colloid centrifugation can select for spermatozoa with certain properties such as metabolic activity. Other reproductive cells, such as spermatids or pro-genitor cells, may also be purified by colloid centrifugation. This review describes the history of colloid centrifugation for selecting spermatozoa, compares colloid centrifugation with alternative techniques, and finally describes some of the applications of the technique within the animal breeding industry.

Published in

American Journal of Analytical Chemistry
2016, volume: 7, pages: 597-610

SLU Authors

• Morrell, Jane

  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Clinical Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ajac.2016.78055

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/79594