Andrology: The use of hemizona assay in the evaluation of the optimal sperm preparation technique

The objective of the study was to evaluate the benefit of differentsperm preparation methods by using the hemizona assay. A totalof 58 men admitted to the male infertility clinic for evaluationwere tested by routine semen analysis and hemizona assay. Fivedifferent techniques (swim-up, TEST-yolk buffer, Percoll, pentoxifyllineand progesterone) were used for preparation of sperm suspensions.The effect of these treatments on the sperm-binding capacityusing the hemizona assay was assessed. The routine swim-up preparationwas used as the reference method. Of the four preparation methods,only the TEST-yolk buffer and pentoxifylline exhibited an overallstatistically significant improvement in sperm-binding capacityin comparison with the swim-up preparation method (P = 0.01and 0.001 respectively). Following preparation with Percolland progesterone there was no change in the mean value of bindingcapacity, compared with swim-up. However, examination of theeffect of the four treatments on each specimen individuallyyielded a diversity in the response, e.g. having the capabilityto enhance, damage or be ineffective in sperm binding capacity.The results support the conclusion that in-vitro sperm preparationmethods can affect sperm binding to the zona pellucida. Sincethere is a diversity in the response of sperm samples to differenttreatments, the hemizona assay can be used in selecting theoptimal sperm preparation method prior to its use for assistedreproductive techniques. This is advocated mainly for the ‘malefactor’ group.