Selection of spermatozoa

Abstract

The isolation of mammalian spermatozoa from the surrounding seminal fluid is a crucial practice commonly applied in assisted reproductive technology applications. The selection of sperm isolation protocol is critically important for investigators, for clinicians preparing sperm samples to be used in reproductive biotechnologies, in veterinary andrology laboratories, and in animal husbandry. Considering the growing importance of the sperm selection techniques, this chapter deals with established sperm selection techniques, viz., simple washing of spermatozoa, swim-up, and discontinuous density-gradient protocol. In addition as a corollary to these protocols, techniques to recover spermatozoa from the epididymis or testicular tissues have been provided alongside.