Ultrastructure of Spermatozoa from Infertility Patients

Abstract

Standard examination of human semen currently remains a main test for examination of male fertility disorders. Although parameters of sperm quality in fertile men are generally higher than in sterile ones, there is a substantial overlap between the two populations, indicating that other important factors affect fertility, but are not assessed in conventional assay. Currently, tests determining the functional properties of sperm have been intensively developed. This review considers an electron microscopic examination of sperm, which assesses the structure and function of the sperm nuclear, penetration and motor apparatus. The detection of sperm chromatin structure can help to understand the causes of early embryonic malformation. Genetically caused and functional disorders of the structure and function of spermatozoa are discussed. Indications for electron microscopic examination of spermatozoa in fertility disorders are given.

Ultra‐structural analysis of human spermatozoa by aperture scanning near‐field optical microscopy

“…The SNOM transmission image (Figure 5F) confirms the absence of the typical helicoidal arrangement of the mitochondria and, at the base of the head, shows a barrel structure in which each single fragment is well visible with a size that appears to be less than 100 nm, considering the broadening due to the convolution with the aperture size, as evaluated at half height in the profile shown in (Figure 5G). These features with the barrel structure located in the centriole region, resemble the segmented (striated) column immediately below the basal membrane, as detected in the longitudinal section of the neck region in the TEM images [8,31,33].…”

Sperm phenotypes in varicocele

“…B., Bragina Е. Е., Levina А. V. Sperm phenotypes in varicocele. Andrologiya i genital'naya khirurgiya = Andrology and Genital Surgery 2019;20(4): [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33].…”

“…Метод количественного электронно-микроскопического исследования сперматозоидов (ЭМИС) позволяет исследовать морфологические субстраты, определяющие подвижность сперматозоидов, их пенетрационную способность, компетентность в раннем эмбриогенезе, а также клеточную основу функциональной некомпетентности сперматозоидов [24][25][26][27][28][29].…”