Correlation of sperms’ swimming force to their swimming speed as assessed by optical tweezers

Jaclyn Vinson; Elliot Botvinick; Barbara Durrant; Michael Berns

doi:10.1117/12.614505

26 August 2005 Correlation of sperms' swimming force to their swimming speed assessed by optical tweezers

Jaclyn Vinson, Elliot Botvinick, Barbara Durrant, Michael Berns

Proceedings Volume 5930, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation II; 593026 (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.614505
Event: Optics and Photonics 2005, 2005, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to seek a correlation between the swimming forces of sperm, their swimming speed and the speed of progression score (SOP), which is given to them by the generally applied subjective 1 - 5 system. This study also examines the effects of length of exposure to the laser trap and laser power on sperm motility. Sperm with SOPs of 2-4 were trapped by a continuous wave 1064 nm single point gradient laser trap. To study trap duration effects, sperm were trapped for fifteen, ten and five seconds at 420mW laser power. To study laser power effects within the trap, powers of 420mW, 350mW, 300mW, and 250mW were applied for a constant duration (5 seconds). The correlations between sperm swimming force, swimming speed and speed of progression were examined at a trap duration and trapping power that were statistically shown to not significantly affect sperm motility. Swimming forces were measured by trapping sperm and subsequently decreasing laser power until the sperm were capable of escaping the trap (escape laser power is directly proportional to swimming force). Swimming speeds were calculated by custom built software, and speed of progression scores were assigned in a blind study by fertility experts examining offline video of the experiments. Sperm swimming force measurements by optical trapping may be a method to quantitatively measure sperm vitality that augments currently used methods.

Citation Download Citation

Jaclyn Vinson, Elliot Botvinick, Barbara Durrant, and Michael Berns "Correlation of sperms' swimming force to their swimming speed assessed by optical tweezers", Proc. SPIE 5930, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation II, 593026 (26 August 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.614505

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