Separation efficiency of a microfluidic sperm sorter to minimize sperm DNA damage

Objective: To evaluate whether microfluidic sperm sorters (MFSSs) allow effective recovery of sorted motile sperm without DNA damage compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure. Design: Experimental laboratory study. All participants completed questionnaires regarding previous and/or current diseases, surgery, reproductive experiences, lifestyle factors, and date of the preceding ejaculation. Setting: University research laboratory. Patient(s): Male volunteers were recruited without setting conditions. Semen samples from healthy volunteers (n = 37) were collected in sterile containers by masturbation. Intervention(s): Flow cytometric measurement and sperm chromatin structure assay analysis of DNA damage after sperm preparation using MFSS and the centrifugation and swim-up procedure. Main Outcome Measure(s): Efficacy and efficiency of sperm preparation, correlation between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and semen parameters, and relationship between basic characteristics and DFI after the centrifugation and swim-up procedure. Result(s): Final sperm concentration and motility were significantly different between the centrifugation and swim-up procedure and MFSS sperm preparations. A significantly lower sperm DNA fragmentation rate was detected with MFSS compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure use. No correlation was observed between DFI and smoking or drinking, but significant correlations were observed between DFI and medication use and sexual abstinence duration. Conclusion(s): MFSSs can be used to efficiently and reliably prepare sperm compared with the centrifugation and swim-up procedure. Further research on the clinical use of MFSSs is required to evaluate the safety and usefulness of this device. (C) 2016 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.