Sperm vacuoles are linked to capacitation and acrosomal status.
OBJECTIVE
Is the presence of nuclear vacuoles really a negative parameter?


CONCLUSIONS
As sperm vacuoles are associated with acrosomal and capacitation status, they appear to be a reflection of normal sperm physiology.


BACKGROUND
The selection of sperm under a high magnification has been proposed as a strategy to increase the success rates of ICSI, through a better selection of sperm for injection. The presence of vacuoles on the sperm head is said to be a negative parameter.


METHODS
We incubated processed sperm for 90 min with two strong inducers of acrosome reaction (AR), i.e. hyaluronic acid (HA) and follicular fluid (FF) and studied the evolution of nuclear vacuoles, sperm morphology and chromatin compaction.


METHODS
We tested the effect of incubating sperm samples with HA and FF for 90 min at 37°C on nuclear vacuoles.


RESULTS
Both HA and FF strongly induce AR after 90 min, without significantly modifying sperm nuclear condensation and morphology (Bartoov's criteria). We simultaneously observed a highly significant decrease in the presence of vacuoles.


CONCLUSIONS
This is a descriptive study based on in vitro manipulations.


CONCLUSIONS
Although intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection may be of benefit for couples with specific treatment indications, the results of this study make it difficult to justify its large-scale application.


BACKGROUND
Funding was granted by Laboratoire d'Eylau, Unilabs.
Laboratoire d'Eylau-Unilabs, 55 rue Saint Didier, 75116 Paris, France. debbie_montjean@hotmail.com
Debbie
D
Montjean
Stephanie
S
Belloc
Moncef
M
Benkhalifa
Alain
A
Dalleac
Yves
Y
Ménézo
D020101:Acrosome Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D015571:Follicular Fluid; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D013077:Sperm Head / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014617:Vacuoles
D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D004247:DNA