The movement of human spermatozoa in cervical mucus

Katz, David F.; Mills, Ross N.; Pritchett, Thomas R.

doi:10.1530/jrf.0.0530259

Cited by 99 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…Human sperm flagella beat with higher frequency but smaller amplitude and wavelength in cervical mucus compared to semen. This results in roughly the same swimming speed but along straighter paths due to a reduction of wobbling and end effects [1]. Sperm hyperactivation (larger amplitude, asymmetric beating patterns) increases the ability to penetrate viscoelastic fluids [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…For example, as spermatozoa make their journey through the female reproductive tract they encounter several complex fluids including glycoproteinbased cervical mucus in the cervix [1], mucosal epithelium inside the fallopian tubes, and an actin-based viscoelastic gel outside the ovum [2,3]. These complex fluids often have dramatic effects on the locomotion of microorganisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Theory of Locomotion Through Complex Fluids

Elfring

Lauga

2014

Complex Fluids in Biological Systems

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Microorganisms such as bacteria often swim in fluid environments that cannot be classified as Newtonian. Many biological fluids contain polymers or other heterogeneities which may yield complex rheology. For a given set of boundary conditions on a moving organism, flows can be substantially different in complex fluids, while non-Newtonian stresses can alter the gait of the microorganisms themselves. Heterogeneities in the fluid may also be characterized by length scales on the order of the organism itself leading to additional dynamic complexity. In this chapter we present a theoretical overview of small-scale locomotion in complex fluids with a focus on recent efforts quantifying the impact of non-Newtonian rheology on swimming microorganisms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory of Locomotion Through Complex Fluids

Elfring

Lauga

2014

Complex Fluids in Biological Systems

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“…Furthermore, they indicated that the mucus is a non-Newtonian fluid. There were several experimental studies on the effect of the viscosity on the motion characteristics of sperm [22]- [25]. Therefore, it is necessary to observe sperm motility in a high-viscosity fluid and not in a dilute fluid to understand the essential mechanism of sperm motility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of viscosity on motion characteristics of bovine sperm

2015

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Abstract-Bovine sperm motion in environments of various viscosities is studied. We used the semen of Japanese cattle and investigated the following parameters: the sperm velocity, the straight-line velocity, and the amplitude from the observed sperm trajectory. As the viscosity increased, the motility of the sperm decreased. On the other hand, the power expended by the sperm flagellum was of the same order of magnitude over the viscosity range of 0.0007-0.0226 Pa·s. Additionally, the increase in the viscosity brought about a change in the flagellum shape and an increase in the percentage of sperm with a nonrotating head. The existence of rotation caused a change in the sperm velocity, amplitude, and frequency of the flagellum. These results suggest that bovine sperm has evolved to swim effectively in the oviduct, which is a highviscosity environment.

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“…Thus, the hydrodynamic drag on the bull sperm head in bovine mucus may be proportionally greater than that encountered by the human sperm in human mucus. This combination of factors may explain the fact that bull sperm slow their swimming velocity when passing from semen to rnucus in vitro (typically going from 90 pm/sec to 60 pm/sec), whereas normal human sperm swim at approximately the same rates in mucus (typically 2 5 4 5 pm/sec) and in the lower viscosity semen [Katz and Dott, 1975;Katz et al, 1978a.Both human and bovine sperm flagella beat at surprisingly high rates in mucus (typically 2&25 Hz) given the striking effects their native mucus secretions have on beat shape (human) and propulsive velocity (bovine). Such behavior does not occur…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For the latter, two basic strategies are applied. The straightness of the trajectory can be quantitated in terms of three dimensionless ratios incorporating the lengths (per unit time) of the curvilinear path (VCL), a spatially averaged path that eliminates the wobble of the sperm head while preserving the basic curvature of the path (VAP), and the straight line between the initial and final positions on the trajectory (VSL) [see Katz et al, 1978a;Suarez et al, 1983; Olds-Clarke, 19861. These ratios are referred to as: The "linearity," LIN = VSL/VCL (formerly 456 Katz et al…”

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confidence: 99%

Factors regulating mammalian sperm migration through the female reproductive tract and oocyte vestments

1989

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Mechanisms of mammalian sperm migration through the female reproductive tract and ovum vestments are described. The perspective is biophysical as well as biochemical and morphological, and the focus is upon the role of sperm motility in these processes. Sperm forward progression is characterized as an interactive process between the the cell and its environment, and the mediation of flagellar bend propagation by the physical properties of its surroundings is described. These properties, together with flagellar beat kinematics, sperm morphology, and surface properties, determine the magnitude of the forces generated by sperm and their consequent rate of progression. Sperm interactions with the cervical mucus, the cumulus oophorus, and the zona pellucida are described. The poorly understood affinity of the sperm surface for the macromolecules of the mucus, cumulus, and zona is stressed, as is the viscoelastic structural mechanical resistance of these biopolymers to sperm motion. The kinematics and consequences of hyperactivated sperm motion are presented, with emphasis on objective characterization of such motion (as a biomarker), along with analysis of the mechanical advantage that such motion may confer on spermatozoa during egg-vestment interaction. Key words: sperm, transport, mucus, cumulus, zona pellucida, fertilization INTRODUCTIONFlagellar movement is a fundamental expression of the vitality of a sperm cell, and is essential for its reproductive function. The active mechanism of flagellar motion produces a sequence of principal and reverse bends [Gibbons and Gibbons, 1974; Woolley, 19771. These can have varying degrees of curvature and can be initiated and propagated along the flagellum at different rates. Flagellar bending results in a distribution of local forces and torques against the surrounding fluid. In accordance with Newton's Third Law, these are resisted by equal and opposite local forces and torques. In order to satisfy Newton's Second Law, the summation of the local local external forces and torques over the sperm head and tail must be zero. As a consequence, there Received November 8, 1988; accepted November 17, 1988. Address reprint requests to David F. Katz In a general biophysical sense, mammalian sperm swim optimally; the principles of hydrodynamics and optimal control theory demonstrate that the smooth flagellar traveling waves, commonly seen in low-viscosity media, tend to maximize the sperm's propulsive velocity with respect to the hydrodynamic power output (Pironneau and Katz, 1974). Mammalian sperm must use their swimming ability to reach the oocyte-cumulus complex, and the forces due to flagellar motion assist them in penetrating the egg vestments to reach the oolemma.Our studies of these processes are hampered by their complexity and by apparent variation among species. Some of this biological variation is real; for example, the site of semen deposition may be the vagina, cervix, or uterus. These environments differ not only with respect to their distance from the site of ferti...

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The movement of human spermatozoa in cervical mucus

Cited by 99 publications

References 15 publications

Theory of Locomotion Through Complex Fluids

Theory of Locomotion Through Complex Fluids

Effect of viscosity on motion characteristics of bovine sperm

Factors regulating mammalian sperm migration through the female reproductive tract and oocyte vestments

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