title: Stimulation of human damaged sperm motility with hydrogen molecule.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sperm motility is a critical factor in male fertility. Low motility can be caused by a variety factors including abnormal spermatogenesis, oxidative damage, or depletion of intracellular ATP. Recent findings indicate that hydrogen molecule (H2) selectively reduces toxic reactive oxygen species. In this study, we investigated the effects of H2 on human sperm motility in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimentally damaged sperm suspensions from patients left at room temperature for > 5 days or frozen immediately after ejaculation were used. After exposure with H2, their forward motility was measured with a counting chamber. A time-lapse movie was recorded to analyze sperm swimming speed. Mitochondria were stained with a membrane potential-sensitive dye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  H2 treatment significantly improved the rate of forward motility, whereas treatment with nitrogen gas did not. While treatment for 30 min was sufficient to improve motility, it did not affect sperm swimming speed. After 24 h, retreatment with H2 increased the motility again. H2 treatment also increased mitochondrial membrane potential. Forward motility of low motile frozen-thawed sperm from patients significantly improved with cleavage medium containing H2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results illustrated that H2 treatment stimulates low sperm motility. H2 is a new promising tool for male infertility treatments.
authors: Biological Process of Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015 Japan ; Reproductive Medicine Research Center, Yamashita Shonan Yume Clinic, 1-2-10 Kugenumaishigami, Fujisawa, 251-0025 Japan.
authors: Kumiko
authors: K
authors: Nakata
authors: Reproductive Medicine Research Center, Yamashita Shonan Yume Clinic, 1-2-10 Kugenumaishigami, Fujisawa, 251-0025 Japan.
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Yamashita
authors: Animal Facility, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015 Japan.
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Noda
authors: Biological Process of Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015 Japan.
authors: Ikuroh
authors: I
authors: Ohsawa
keywords: Frozen-thawed sperm; Hydrogen molecule; Male infertility; Mitochondria; Sperm motility
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