ArticleJournal of assisted reproduction and genetics2021
Flow-cytometric analysis of membrane integrity of stallion sperm in the face of agglutination: the "zombie sperm" dilemma.
Article in Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cinnamaldehyde as a Natural Antimicrobial in Donkey Semen: Efficacy and Sperm Cytotoxicity.Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene · 2026Article
- Comparative Susceptibility of Donkey and Horse Sperm to Liquid-Storage Temperature.Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene · 2026Article
- Silver Nanoparticles in Donkey Semen Stored at 17°C: Effect on Sperm Parameters and Bacterial Growth.Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene · 2026Article
- Effect of Uncoated Magnetic Nanoparticles on Stallion Sperm Parameters: Influence of Semen Quality.Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene · 2026Article
- Equine in vitro fertilization with frozen-thawed semen is associated with shortened pre-incubation time and modified capacitation-related changes.Biology of reproduction · 2025Article
- A combination of biomarkers for predicting stallion sperm fertility.Veterinary research communications · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo define the effect of sperm agglutination, associated with incubation under capacitating conditions, on accuracy of membrane assessment via flow cytometry and to develop methods to mitigate that effect.
methodsSperm motility was measured by CASA. Sperm were stained with PI-PSA or a novel method, LD-PSA, using fixable live/dead stain and cell dissociation treatment, before flow-cytometric analysis. Using LD-PSA, acrosome reaction and plasma membrane status were determined in equine sperm treated with 10 μm A23187 for 10 min, followed by 0, 1, or 2 h incubation in capacitating conditions.
resultsUsing PI-PSA, measured membrane integrity (MI; live sperm) was dramatically lower than was total motility (TMOT), indicating spurious results ("zombie sperm"). Sperm aggregates were largely of motile sperm. Loss of motility after A23187 treatment was associated with disaggregation and increased MI. On disaggregation using LD-PSA, MI rose, and MI then corresponded with TMOT. In equine sperm incubated after A23187 treatment, as the percentage of live acrosome-reacted sperm increased, TMOT decreased to near 0.
conclusionFlow cytometry assesses only individualized sperm; thus, agglutination of viable sperm alters recorded membrane integrity. As viable sperm become immotile, they individualize; therefore, factors that decrease motility, such as A23187, result in increased measured MI. Disaggregation before assessment allows more accurate determination of sperm membrane status; in this case we documented a mismatch between motility and live acrosome-reacted equine sperm that may relate to the poor repeatability of A23187 treatment for equine IVF. These findings are of profound value to future studies on sperm capacitation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.