title: Papaverine as a replacement for pentoxifylline to select thawed testicular or epididymal spermatozoa before ICSI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pentoxifylline has been used to improve sperm motility in Assisted Reproductive Technology mainly by initiating sperm motility in immotile spermatozoa samples obtained surgically. Indeed, as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection leads to very poor results when using immotile gametes, pentoxifylline gives better results by easing the selection of viable sperm mobilized after incubation. In 2011, the French Haute Autorité de santé decided that pentoxifylline used for in vivo purpose proposed Insufficient Medical Service and pentoxifylline was thus withdrawn from the French materia medica. We here assessed the efficacy on spermatozoa motility and the safety of papaverine, another phosphodiesterase inhibitor, for the replacement of pentoxifylline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen frozen-thawed epididymal or testicular samples displaying no or very poor spontaneous motility (≤5% total motility) were subjected to both pentoxifylline (3.6mM) and papaverine (93μM). A duplicate Mouse Embryo Assay and an In Vitro Fertilization Mouse Assay in duplo were used to discard any toxic effect of papaverine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Papaverine gave better results than pentoxifylline (mean total motility: 27% vs 23%, P<0.05). No Effect Level were observed in the two different Mouse Embryo Assays performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Papaverine is a useful tool to replace pentoxifylline in ICSI programs to select viable spermatozoa in frozen-thawed sperm samples displaying no or very poor motility.
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France. Electronic address: pterriou@aol.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Terriou
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hans
authors.affiliation: BVBA, Martelaarslaan 349, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortvrindt
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avon
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salzmann
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lazdunski
authors.affiliation: Institut de médecine de la reproduction, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France; Laboratoire ALPHABIO, 6, rue François-Rocca, 13008 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giorgetti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology*; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010208:Papaverine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000009:adverse effects; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D010208:Papaverine; D010431:Pentoxifylline
keywords: Epididymal; ICSI; Papaverine; Papavérine; Pentoxifylline; Spermatozoa; Spermatozoïdes; Testiculaires; Testicular; Épididymaires