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A novel microfluidic device for human sperm separation based on rheotaxis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2024

Alireza Heidarnejad Open the ORCID record for Alireza Heidarnejad [Opens in a new window] ,
Mohammadreza Sadeghi ,
Saeid Arasteh  and
Mohammad Adel Ghiass Open the ORCID record for Mohammad Adel Ghiass [Opens in a new window]
Alireza Heidarnejad
Affiliation:
Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Mohammadreza Sadeghi
Affiliation:
Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Saeid Arasteh
Affiliation:
Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Adel Ghiass*
Affiliation:
Tissue Engineering Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
*
Corresponding author: Mohammad Adel Ghiass; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study explores the efficacy of a novel microfluidic device in isolating rheotactic sperm and assesses their advantages compared with other motile sperm. Two microfluidic devices were used in this study: the microfluidic device we designed to separate sperm based on rheotaxis and a simple passive microfluidic device. We compared the results with the density gradient centrifugation technique. Sperm attributes including concentration, morphology, viability and motility were assessed using related procedures. Statistical analyses were conducted using one-way analysis of variance. Results showed differences in sperm concentration, motility, morphology and vitality using different sperm separation techniques. The sperms separated using our microfluidic device demonstrated the highest motilities, normal morphology percentages and higher sperm vitality but significantly lower sperm concentrations. These findings suggest the potential of our microfluidic design in enhancing sperm quality. Our findings are in agreement with previous research, emphasizing the capability of microfluidics in enhancing sperm quality. Specifically, our designed microfluidic device exhibited exceptional efficacy in isolating highly motile sperm, a critical factor for successful fertilization.

Keywords

Density gradient centrifugationMicrofluidicsRheotaxisSperm separationSperm trajectories
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , First View , pp. 1 - 9
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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