Astragalus Membranaceus Stimulates Human Sperm Motility In Vitro

Poor sperm motility is an important cause of male infertility. In an attempt to identify Chinese medicinal herbs that might improve human sperm motility in vitro, we screened water extracts of 18 herbs with a trans-membrane migration method which measured the percentage of sperm that moved across the 5 micron pores of a Nuclepore membrane from a semen-drug mixture into phosphate buffered saline during 2 hours incubation. Astragalus membranaceus was the only herb that showed a significant stimulatory effect. At 10 mg/ml, it increased the motility of sperm in semen to 146.6 ± 22.6 % of control. It also increased the motility of washed sperm to 138.2 ± 13.8% of control. Purification of the active component(s) from this herb as well as its application in assisted reproduction technology await further investigation.

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Screening the in vitro Sperm-immobilizing Effect of some Anticancer Drugs

Human Toxicology ◽

10.1177/096032718500400412 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 461-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

C.Y. Hong ◽

B.N. Chiang ◽

J. Ku ◽

P. Wu

Keyword(s):

Mitomycin C ◽

Anticancer Drugs ◽

Sperm Motility ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Human Sperm ◽

Site Of Action ◽

Migration Method ◽

Sperm Membrane

1 The in vitro sperm-immobilizing effect of seven anticancer agents, namely cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, cytarabine, mitomycin-C, 6-mercaptopurine, doxorubicin and vinblastine were screened with a transmembrane migration method. 2 Only doxorubicin and vinblastine inhibited human sperm motility. 3 Because colchicine, a microtubular inhibitor, had no sperm-immobilizing effect, we suggest that the sperm membrane is the site of action of these two anticancer drugs to inhibit human sperm motility.

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A Substance Isolated from Cornus officinalis Enhances the Motility of Human Sperm

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine ◽

10.1142/s0192415x97000330 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 25 (03n04) ◽

pp. 301-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Hellen Jeng ◽

Chao Mei Wu ◽

Shuen-Jiing Su ◽

Wen-Chang Chang

Keyword(s):

Sperm Motility ◽

Crude Extract ◽

High Performance ◽

Chinese Herb ◽

Human Sperm ◽

Final Concentration ◽

Dried Fruits ◽

Sperm Analysis ◽

Cornus Officinalis ◽

Phosphate Buffered Saline

The effects of a Chinese herb, Cornus officinalis, on the motility of human sperm was studied. An aqueous extract was prepared from the dried fruits of the herb and used in this study. The crude extract at a final concentration of 0.5 μg/μl in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) increased sperm motility from 25.8 ± 7.7% to 42.8 ± 10.3% (i.e. 68% increase, n = 7), as determined by the computer-aided-sperm-analysis (CASA) method. The crude extract was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) into four fractions: Cl , C2, C3 and C4. Their effects on sperm motility were further studied by CASA. Only the C4 fraction showed substantial stimulatory effects on sperm motility. At a concentration of 5 ng/μl, C4 increased the sperm motility from 15.7 ± 3.8% to 34.5 ± 6.4% (i.e. 120% increase, n = 6) by CASA and from 14.9 ± 4.3 to 28.5 ± 8.1 (i.e. 91% increase, n = 8) by transmembrane migration ratio (TMMR) method. This result suggests that C4 is the active component in Cornus officinalis that enhances sperm motility.

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R-001. Does buffalo follicular fluid enhance human sperm motility and vitality during activation in vitro?

Human Reproduction ◽

10.1093/humrep/14.suppl_3.279 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 14 (Suppl_3) ◽

pp. 279-279

Author(s):

M.-B. M.-R. Fakhrildin

Keyword(s):

Sperm Motility ◽

Follicular Fluid ◽

Human Sperm

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Current Insights and Latest Updates in Sperm Motility and Associated Applications in Assisted Reproduction

Reproductive Sciences ◽

10.1007/s43032-020-00408-y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Reyon Dcunha ◽

Reda S. Hussein ◽

Hanumappa Ananda ◽

Sandhya Kumari ◽

Satish Kumar Adiga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sperm Motility ◽

Reproductive Tract ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Human Sperm ◽

Pharmacological Agents ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Global Trend ◽

Increased Risk

AbstractSpermatozoon is a motile cell with a special ability to travel through the woman’s reproductive tract and fertilize an oocyte. To reach and penetrate the oocyte, spermatozoa should possess progressive motility. Therefore, motility is an important parameter during both natural and assisted conception. The global trend of progressive reduction in the number and motility of healthy spermatozoa in the ejaculate is associated with increased risk of infertility. Therefore, developing approaches for maintaining or enhancing human sperm motility has been an important area of investigation. In this review we discuss the physiology of sperm, molecular pathways regulating sperm motility, risk factors affecting sperm motility, and the role of sperm motility in fertility outcomes. In addition, we discuss various pharmacological agents and biomolecules that can enhance sperm motility in vitro and in vivo conditions to improve assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. This article opens dialogs to help toxicologists, clinicians, andrologists, and embryologists in understanding the mechanism of factors influencing sperm motility and various management strategies to improve treatment outcomes.

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