10.57647/pibm.2024.132416

Human Sperm Cryopreservation Using Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Cryoprotectant

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  • Atefe Mohsennezhad1,2,
  • Maryam Ghobeh1,
  • Mohsen Sharafi3,
  • Saeed Zandiyeh4,
  • Marjan Sabbaghian*2,
  1. Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
  2. Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
  3. Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
  4. Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University of Damghan, Iran

Published in Issue 2024-12-30

Copyright (c) 2024 Atefe Mohsennezhad, Maryam Ghobeh, Mohsen Sharafi, Saeed Zandiyeh, Marjan Sabbaghian (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Mohsennezhad, A., Ghobeh, M., Sharafi, M., Zandiyeh, S., & Sabbaghian, M. (2024). Human Sperm Cryopreservation Using Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Cryoprotectant. Progress in Biomaterials, 13(04). https://doi.org/10.57647/pibm.2024.132416
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Abstract

Cryopreservation is a procedure commonly used worldwide to keep a broad range of living cells and tissues, such as sperm, oocytes, and embryos, at extremely low temperatures for long periods while retaining the integrity of their structures. In order to preserve fertility during cancer treatment, sperm cryopreservation has become a common practice. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a synthetic polymer, has shown to prevent the growth of ice crystals and inhibit ice recrystallization at lower concentrations. In the current investigation, the aim was to assess the PVA as a supplement to improve human sperm cryopreservation. Sperm from 21 normospermic males were collected and divided into five equal groups: Fresh, frozen control, 0.01% PVA, 0.1% PVA, and 0.5% PVA. After being frozen and thawed, the main sperm parameters were examined, such as motility, viability, morphology, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and DNA fragmentation. Based on the results, human sperm motility and viability were increased by adding 0.01% PVA in comparison with the control group. Moreover, different concentrations of PVA did not affect morphology, MDA, or DNA fragmentation. It is reasonable to declare that using an optimal concentration of impermeable ice inhibitors, such as PVA, in conjunction with a permeable cryoprotectant significantly improves the enhancement of human sperm after thawing.

Keywords

  • Cryopreservation,
  • Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA),
  • Human sperm,
  • Cryoprotectant
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