title: Effect of cooling on the motility and function of human spermatozoa.
abstract: Human spermatozoa were cooled from 37 to 0 degrees C at 10 degrees C min(-1) in 5 degrees C steps with 1 min equilibration at each step, the temperature control was +/- 0.1 degrees C. Spermatozoa were held at 0 degrees C for 5 min and then rewarmed at the same rate. No significant effect of cooling on the straight-line velocity was found using computer-aided semen analysis. The physiological function of spermatozoa was also examined before and after cooling using hypoosmotic swelling, ionophore-provoked acrosome reaction, and binding to fragments of human zonae pellucidae. Spermatozoa were cooled either in seminal plasma or in conventional IVF medium with or without fractionation by centrifugation through a discontinuous Percoll gradient. When spermatozoa were cooled and rewarmed in seminal plasma there was no significant change in either the ionophore-induced acrosome reaction or the binding to zona pellucida fragments. When spermatozoa were fractionated by centrifugation through Percoll an increased response in both was seen. However, following cooling and rewarming, a significant decline in the response of both occurred. We suggest that motility alone is not a reliable predictor of changes in other physiological functions of spermatozoa following cooling. Furthermore, short-term cooling appears to have no significant detrimental effect on normozoospermic samples and cold shock may be avoided in the clinical context by controlled cooling and warming.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Healthcare, St. Mary's Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 0JH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chantler
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Abraham-Peskir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Medenwaldt
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003470:Culture Media; D004548:Elasticity; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D007476:Ionophores; D000001:Calcimycin; D002118:Calcium