Sperm selection in assisted reproduction: A review of established methods and cutting-edge possibilities

摘要: Male infertility often involves idiopathic or unknown causes, leading to an increasing demand for assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Conventional sperm sorting techniques rely on centrifugation steps that are known cause oxidative stress and consequently damage cells. Alternative novel have been introduced but offer disadvantages need be overcome. These also employed increase the number quality of subjects in animal breeding industry, obtain purebred preserve endangered species. Microfluidics deals with manipulation small amounts volume within a microdevice as lab-on-a-chip (LOC), which offers rapid analyses, ease use, reagent sample volumes, high-throughput processing wide reproducibility owing automation standardization. As LOC allows gamete handling microenvironment strictly mimics physiological vivo conditions avoids long time, use microfluidics selection proposed during last 15 years is currently under investigation. Moreover, sort, identify analyse other kinds cells could transferred analysis, thus opening way approach cell manipulation. This review describes routinely performed human clinical practice good-quality vitro fertilization procedures, focuses positive negative aspects each method. Emerging microfluidic devices, recently selection, described and, when possible, compared standard methods.