Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/15679
Title: Not All Sperm Are Equal: Functional Mitochondria Characterize a Subpopulation of Human Sperm with Better Fertilization Potential
Authors: Sousa, Ana Paula 
Amaral, Alexandra 
Baptista, Marta 
Tavares, Renata 
Caballero Campo, Pedro 
Caballero Peregrín, Pedro 
Freitas, Albertina 
Paiva, Artur 
Almeida-Santos, Teresa 
Ramalho-Santos, João 
Issue Date: 23-Mar-2011
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Citation: SOUSA, Ana Paula [et al.] - Not All Sperm Are Equal: Functional Mitochondria Characterize a Subpopulation of Human Sperm with Better Fertilization Potential. "PLoS ONE". ISSN 1932-6203. 6:3 (2011) e18112
Serial title, monograph or event: PLoS ONE
Volume: 6
Issue: 3
Abstract: Human sperm samples are very heterogeneous and include a low amount of truly functional gametes. Distinct strategies have been developed to characterize and isolate this specific subpopulation. In this study we have used fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting to determine if mitochondrial function, as assessed using mitochondrialsensitive probes, could be employed as a criterion to obtain more functional sperm from a given ejaculate. We first determined that mitochondrial activity correlated with the quality of distinct human samples, from healthy donors to patients with decreased semen quality. Furthermore, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting to separate sperm with active and inactive mitochondria we found that this was also true within samples. Indeed, sperm with active mitochondria defined a more functional subpopulation, which contained more capacitated and acrosome intact cells, sperm with lower chromatin damage, and, crucially, sperm more able to decondense and participate in early development using both chemical induction and injection into mature bovine oocytes. Furthermore, cell sorting using mitochondrial activity produced a more functional sperm subpopulation than classic swim-up, both in terms of improvement in a variety of functional sperm parameters and in statistical significance. In conclusion, whatever the true biological role of sperm mitochondria in fertilization, mitochondrial activity is a clear hallmark of human sperm functionality.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/15679
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018112
Rights: openAccess
Appears in Collections:I&D CNC - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais
FMUC Medicina - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais
FCTUC Ciências da Vida - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais

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