File:Human- vacuolated spermatozoa.jpg

Human Spermatozoa Vacuolated Morphology

B: Spermatozoa with large nuclear vacuoles observed at high magnification (≥8400×).

Spermatozoa were analyzed at greater than or equal to 8400x magnification by inverted microscope equipped with DIC/Nomarski differential interference contrast optics. At least 200 motile spermatozoa per semen sample were evaluated and percentages of normal spermatozoa and spermatozoa with large nuclear vacuoles (LNV/one or more vacuoles occupying>50% of the sperm nuclear area) were determined. A spermatozoon was classified as morphologically normal when it exhibited a normal nucleus (smooth, symmetric and oval nucleus, width 3.28+/-0.20 microm, length 4.75+/-0.20 microm/absence of vacuoles occupying>4% of nuclear area) as well as acrosome, post-acrosomal lamina, neck and tail, besides not presenting cytoplasm around the head. One examiner, blinded to subject identity, performed the entire study.

Image version links

Large 1000px | 800px | Medium 600px | Small 400px

Reference

<pubmed>20529256</pubmed>| PMC2889997 | Reprod Biol Endocrinol.

© 2010 Oliveira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.