Metabolic characterization of human sperm cells using the Seahorse metabolic flux analyzer

BackgroundThe concerning trend on male infertility global prevalence, together with the unexplainable causes in half of those cases, highlights that there are still aspects of this disease to be understood and solved. To address this issue, one should not only be aware of the limitations of the implemented diagnostic tools, but also understand the sperm cell in depth, structurally, biochemically, molecularly in order to develop reliable and ready-to-be new/improved diagnostic tools. In this sense, the sperm cells metabolism, highly related to its functionality, seems to be a promising aspect to explore. Though there is much information on the human sperm metabolism, there is still a lack of a quick integrated and comprehensive analysis that may be introduced with the potential to reveal innovative clinically relevant information. ObjectivesFind metabolic details on human sperm that can be accessed easily, in real time and using few cells, relying on the bivalent potential of the Seahorse flux analyzer (SFA). ResultsWe have obtained standard records on human sperm cells' oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), that together with the metabolic metrics provided information on sperm cells' oxidative and glycolytic metabolism. Furthermore, a metabolic interindividual variation was observed. Discussion and conclusionAlthough the comparison with other species or cell types is not linear and warrant further studies, the metabolic profile of human sperm cells seems to be similar to that of other species. Altogether our results corroborate the value of SFA for metabolic human sperm cell analysis, warranting new studies, and anticipating several applications in the male infertility field.

Automated summary

The increasing prevalence of male infertility worldwide, coupled with unexplained causes in half of the cases, calls for a better understanding of the disease and the development of improved diagnostic tools. Examining the metabolism of sperm cells, which is closely linked to their functionality, shows promise in this regard. This study obtained metabolic data on human sperm cells using the Seahorse flux analyzer, revealing insights into their oxidative and glycolytic metabolism.