Effect of pentoxifylline on immotile testicular spermatozoa

Purpose: A model for differentiating live and dead sperm cells during intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is proposed. Methods: We used pentoxifylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor known to enhance sperm motility, to initiate motility in testicular spermatozoa. Ten immotile testicular sperm samples were divided into two parts for examination of sperm motility with and without pentoxifylline treatment at 30, 60, and 90 min. Results: The samples without pentoxifylline remained immotile even after 90 min of incubation: the addition of pentoxifylline initiated sperm motility in all samples: 51.8±10.2, 64.4±9.4, and 70.8±8.9% (mean±SD) at 30, 60, and 90 min, respectively. Conclusions: That pentoxifylline may be used to differentiate live testicular spermatozoa during ICSI, which may improve fertilization and pregnancy rates, is suggested.