1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
2 Department of Bionano Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
SLAS Technol. 2018 Dec;23(6):507-515. doi: 10.1177/2472630318783948. Epub 2018 Jun 27.
Infertile couples needing assisted reproduction are increasing, so a fundamental understanding of motile sperm migration is required. This paper presents an advanced microfluidic device for sperm motion analysis utilizing chemotaxis and thermotaxis simultaneously for the first time. The proposed device is a transparent polydimethylsiloxane- and glass-based microfluidic chip system providing a low-cost, useful, and disposable platform for sperm analysis. The concentration gradient of the chemoattractant (acetylcholine) and the temperature difference are formed along the microchannel. The temperature gradient is generated and controlled by a microheater and microsensor. Thermotactic and chemotactic responses of mouse sperm were examined using the proposed device. Experimental results show that motile mouse sperm are attracted more sensitively under integrated conditions of chemotaxis and thermotaxis rather than individual conditions of chemotaxis and thermotaxis. This sperm analysis device is expected to be a useful tool for the study of mammalian sperm migration and the improvement of artificial insemination techniques.
需要辅助生殖的不孕夫妇正在增加，因此需要对游动精子的迁移有基本的了解。本文首次提出了一种用于精子运动分析的先进微流控装置，可同时利用化学趋性和温度趋性。所提出的装置是一种透明的聚二甲基硅氧烷和玻璃基微流控芯片系统，为精子分析提供了低成本、有用且一次性的平台。化学引诱剂（乙酰胆碱）的浓度梯度和温差沿微通道形成。通过微加热器和微传感器产生和控制温度梯度。使用所提出的装置检查了小鼠精子的热趋性和趋化性反应。实验结果表明，在化学趋性和温度趋性的综合条件下，游动的小鼠精子比化学趋性和温度趋性的单一条件下更敏感地被吸引。这种精子分析装置有望成为研究哺乳动物精子迁移和改进人工授精技术的有用工具。
