Spermatozoa, the haploid male gametes, are highly specialized cells capable to fertilize eggs in order to produce diploid zygote. The biogenesis of spermatozoa requires finely modulated occurrence of mitotic, meiotic, and differentiation events. Hence, the production of high-quality spermatozoa impacts fertilization with outcomes on the health of the offspring. This book provides a comprehensive overview on the biogenesis, maturation, functions and activities of spermatozoa in both physiological conditions and infertility. Particular attention has been addressed to the impact of environment on sperm quality and to the appropriate selection of high-quality spermatozoa for in vitro fertilization. Taken together, this book targets a wide audience of basic and clinical scientists, teachers and students, and offers a better understanding of spermatozoa health and disease.

This is the 1st edition of the book A Workbook on Human Spermatozoa and Assisted Conception. The text is comprehensive, updated and fully revised as per the present day requirements in the subject of assisted conception. The book has 17 chapters classified into twelve sections. The first chapter deals with equipments and culture media used in semen analysis. Subsequent two chapters are computer assisted semen analysis which provides a comprehensive description of human semen analysis with the help of well-illustrated diagrams in a user friendly language. A sound foundation of understanding of sperm morphology and semen preparation is provided in the next three chapters giving details of semen ejaculate, semen extract and semen preparation of infected semen sample in simple text and easy to understand illustrations along with recent advances. Oxidative stress test is described in chapter 10. The chapter 11 to 14 deal with different tests done on sperms. Chapter fifteen describes Oocyte spindle imaging system. The chapter 16th and 17th deal with semen banking and vitrification. A comprehensive index is given at last.

There are several types of damage that can be found in the male gamete. Genetic damage in spermatozoa can originate during spermatogenesis, or it can originate during transit in both male and female genital tracts. Damage can also be due to ageing, environmental or iatrogenic conditions, as well as to the protocols to cryopreserve and to select spermatozoa in assisted reproduction techniques. The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive resource for all possible DNA damages in sperm, the relation to fertility and infertility, and possible transgenerational heritable effects.

Internal fertilization usually implies that a spermatozoon, with intact attributes for zygote formation, passes all hurdles during its transport through the female genitalia and reaches the oocyte. During this journey, millions to billions of other spermatozoa perish. Spermatozoa are highly differentiated motile cells without synthetic capabilities. They generate energy via glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to sustain motility and to maintain the stability and functionality of their plasma membrane. In vivo, they spend their short lifespan bathing in female genital tract fluids of different origins, or are in vitro exposed to defined media during diverse sperm handling i.e. extension, cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization, etc. Being excitable cells, spermatozoa respond in vivo to various stimuli during pre-fertilization (capacitation, hyperactivation, oocyte location) and fertilization (acrosome reaction, interaction with the oocyte) events, mediated via diverse membrane ion-conducting channels and ligand-gated receptors. The present Thesis has mapped the presence and reactivity (sperm intactness and kinematics) of selected receptors, water and ion channels in ejaculated boar spermatozoa. The final aim was to find a relevant alternative cell type for in vitro bioassays that could ease the early scrutiny of candidate drugs as well as decreasing our needs for experimental animals according to the 3R principles. Spermatozoa are often extended, cooled and thawed to warrant their availability as fertile gametes for breeding or in vitro testing. Such manipulations stress the cells via osmotic variations and hence spermatozoa need to maintain membrane intactness by controlling the exchange of water and the common cryoprotectant glycerol, via aquaporins (AQPs). Both AQPs-7 and -9 were studied for membrane domain changes in cauda- and ejaculated spermatozoa (un-processed, extended, chilled or frozen-thawed). While AQP-9 maintained location through source and handling, thawing of ejaculated spermatozoa clearly relocated the labelling of AQP-7, thus appearing as a relevant marker for non-empirical studies of sperm cryopreservation. Alongside water, spermatozoa interact with calcium (Ca2+) via the main Ca2+ sperm channel CatSper. Increments in intracellular Ca2+ initiate motility hyperactivation and the acrosome reaction. The four subunits of the CatSper channel were present in boar spermatozoa, mediating changes in sperm motility under in vitro capacitation-inducing conditions (increased extracellular Ca2+ availability and bicarbonate) or challenge by the CatSper antagonists mibefradil and NNC 55-0396. Uterine and oviduct fluids are richest in endogenous opioids as ?-endorphins during mating and ovulation. Both ?- and ?- opioid receptors were present in boar spermatozoa modulating sperm motility, as in vitro challenge with known agonists (?: morphine; ?: DPDPE and ?: U 50488) and antagonists (?: naloxone; ?: naltrindole and ?: nor-binaltrorphimine) showed that the ?-opioid receptor maintained or increased motility while the ?-opioid receptor mediated decreased motility over time. Finally, boar spermatozoa depicted dose-response effects on sperm kinematics and mitochondrial potential following in vitro challenge with 130 pharmacological drugs and toxic compounds as well as with eight known mito-toxic compounds. In conclusion, boar spermatozoa expressing functional water (AQPs-7 and -9) and ion (CatSper 1-4) channels as well as ?- and ?-opioid receptors are able to adapt to stressful environmental variations, capacitation and pharmacological compounds and drug components. Ejaculated sperm suspensions are easily and painlessly obtained from breeding boars, and are suitable biosensors for in vitro drug-induced testing, complying with the 3R principles of reduction and replacement of experimental animals, during early toxicology screening.

This 1987 book examines the structure, as seen by the scanning and transmission electron microscopes, of the spermatozoa of insects, centipedes, millipedes and onychophorans.

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