Abstract:
Introduction: Sperm preparation is essential in Assisted Reproductive Technology
(ART) to enrich motile spermatozoa and eliminate contaminants such as white blood
cells (WBC). The density gradient centrifugation method is widely used in clinical
practice. Glass wool column filtration (GWCF) has been proposed as an alternative
that selectively removes immotile sperm and leukocytes while being more cost
effective compared to conventional methods. This study evaluates the effectiveness
of GWCF by comparing outcomes with unprocessed semen.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the GWCF method in sperm processing
Methodology: This laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the
Andrology laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Forty-two leftover
semen samples of normozoospermic men were collected within fifteen minutes for
processing after obtaining their written informed consent. Sperm concentration,
sperm motility, and WBC count were obtained from both unprocessed whole semen
and processed semen using the GWCF method. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed
rank test were applied to compare mean values of the parameters before and after
processing. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 27.
Results: Sperm concentration was decreased significantly from 95.95 ± 64.46
million/ml (Mean±SD) in unprocessed semen to 7.52 ± 7.67 million/ml following the
GWCF method (p<0.001). In contrast, sperm motility was increased significantly,
rising from 61.61 ± 17.31% in unprocessed semen to 72.65 ± 17.30% following the
GWCF method (p<0.001). WBC count showed a significant reduction, dropping from
4.48 ± 2.99 cells/HPF in unprocessed semen to 1.01 ± 0.89 cells/HPF following the
GWCF method (p<0.001). Overall, the GWCF method yielded samples with reduced
sperm concentration, improved motility, and lower WBC counts compared to
unprocessed semen.
Conclusions: The GWCF method enhances sperm motility and reduces WBC
contamination while resulting in a lower sperm concentration. This method
demonstrates potential for enhancing sperm quality after processing for ART, while
representing a cost-effective alternative to conventional techniques. Assessment of
additional parameters, such as sperm vitality and morphology, would further
strengthen the confirmation of semen quality outcomes.
