High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes

Autores
Steeman, Tomás José; Baró Graf, Carolina; Novero, Analia Guadalupe; Buffone, Mariano Gabriel; Krapf, Dario
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Sperm membrane potential (Em) hyperpolarization during capacitation is a functional hallmark of fertilizing ability and has been proposed as a predictive biomarker for conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) success. However, it is unclear whether Em remains stable across ejaculates over time and can reliably guide assisted reproductive technology (ART) decisions in advance. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the temporal consistency of human sperm Em within individuals and assess its utility as a prognostic marker when measured days or weeks prior to IVF procedures. Em was assessed in capacitated and non-capacitated sperm from normospermic donors at three time points over 28 days, using a fluorometric assay. Capacitated values were compared to a −48.6 mV threshold previously associated with successful fertilization. Intra-donor Em variability and coefficients of variation (CV) were analyzed statistically. Our results showed that Em values exhibited significant intra-donor variability over time (p = 0.007), with approximately half of the donors crossing the −48.6 mV functional threshold across sessions. Capacitated sperm samples showed significantly greater variability than non-capacitated ones, with several donors exceeding a 30% CV cutoff. No consistent correlation was found between CV and mean Em values. While Em remains a promising functional marker when assessed on the day of IVF, its temporal variability undermines its reliability as a predictive tool for ART decisions made in advance. These findings underscore the importance of timing in functional sperm assessments and call for further studies to identify the physiological factors influencing Em stability.
Fil: Steeman, Tomás José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Baró Graf, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Novero, Analia Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Buffone, Mariano Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina
Fil: Krapf, Dario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Materia
MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
SPERM CAPACITATION
HUMAN FERTILITY
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/271555

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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART OutcomesSteeman, Tomás JoséBaró Graf, CarolinaNovero, Analia GuadalupeBuffone, Mariano GabrielKrapf, DarioMEMBRANE POTENTIALSPERM CAPACITATIONHUMAN FERTILITYhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Sperm membrane potential (Em) hyperpolarization during capacitation is a functional hallmark of fertilizing ability and has been proposed as a predictive biomarker for conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) success. However, it is unclear whether Em remains stable across ejaculates over time and can reliably guide assisted reproductive technology (ART) decisions in advance. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the temporal consistency of human sperm Em within individuals and assess its utility as a prognostic marker when measured days or weeks prior to IVF procedures. Em was assessed in capacitated and non-capacitated sperm from normospermic donors at three time points over 28 days, using a fluorometric assay. Capacitated values were compared to a −48.6 mV threshold previously associated with successful fertilization. Intra-donor Em variability and coefficients of variation (CV) were analyzed statistically. Our results showed that Em values exhibited significant intra-donor variability over time (p = 0.007), with approximately half of the donors crossing the −48.6 mV functional threshold across sessions. Capacitated sperm samples showed significantly greater variability than non-capacitated ones, with several donors exceeding a 30% CV cutoff. No consistent correlation was found between CV and mean Em values. While Em remains a promising functional marker when assessed on the day of IVF, its temporal variability undermines its reliability as a predictive tool for ART decisions made in advance. These findings underscore the importance of timing in functional sperm assessments and call for further studies to identify the physiological factors influencing Em stability.Fil: Steeman, Tomás José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Baró Graf, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Novero, Analia Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Buffone, Mariano Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Krapf, Dario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaMDPI2025-07info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/271555Steeman, Tomás José; Baró Graf, Carolina; Novero, Analia Guadalupe; Buffone, Mariano Gabriel; Krapf, Dario; High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes; MDPI; Biology; 14; 7; 7-2025; 1-102079-7737CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/7/851info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/biology14070851info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T10:30:12Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/271555instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 10:30:12.728CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
title High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
spellingShingle High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
Steeman, Tomás José
MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
SPERM CAPACITATION
HUMAN FERTILITY
title_short High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
title_full High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
title_fullStr High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
title_full_unstemmed High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
title_sort High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Steeman, Tomás José
Baró Graf, Carolina
Novero, Analia Guadalupe
Buffone, Mariano Gabriel
Krapf, Dario
author Steeman, Tomás José
author_facet Steeman, Tomás José
Baró Graf, Carolina
Novero, Analia Guadalupe
Buffone, Mariano Gabriel
Krapf, Dario
author_role author
author2 Baró Graf, Carolina
Novero, Analia Guadalupe
Buffone, Mariano Gabriel
Krapf, Dario
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
SPERM CAPACITATION
HUMAN FERTILITY
topic MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
SPERM CAPACITATION
HUMAN FERTILITY
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Sperm membrane potential (Em) hyperpolarization during capacitation is a functional hallmark of fertilizing ability and has been proposed as a predictive biomarker for conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) success. However, it is unclear whether Em remains stable across ejaculates over time and can reliably guide assisted reproductive technology (ART) decisions in advance. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the temporal consistency of human sperm Em within individuals and assess its utility as a prognostic marker when measured days or weeks prior to IVF procedures. Em was assessed in capacitated and non-capacitated sperm from normospermic donors at three time points over 28 days, using a fluorometric assay. Capacitated values were compared to a −48.6 mV threshold previously associated with successful fertilization. Intra-donor Em variability and coefficients of variation (CV) were analyzed statistically. Our results showed that Em values exhibited significant intra-donor variability over time (p = 0.007), with approximately half of the donors crossing the −48.6 mV functional threshold across sessions. Capacitated sperm samples showed significantly greater variability than non-capacitated ones, with several donors exceeding a 30% CV cutoff. No consistent correlation was found between CV and mean Em values. While Em remains a promising functional marker when assessed on the day of IVF, its temporal variability undermines its reliability as a predictive tool for ART decisions made in advance. These findings underscore the importance of timing in functional sperm assessments and call for further studies to identify the physiological factors influencing Em stability.
Fil: Steeman, Tomás José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Baró Graf, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Novero, Analia Guadalupe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
Fil: Buffone, Mariano Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina
Fil: Krapf, Dario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Argentina
description Sperm membrane potential (Em) hyperpolarization during capacitation is a functional hallmark of fertilizing ability and has been proposed as a predictive biomarker for conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) success. However, it is unclear whether Em remains stable across ejaculates over time and can reliably guide assisted reproductive technology (ART) decisions in advance. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the temporal consistency of human sperm Em within individuals and assess its utility as a prognostic marker when measured days or weeks prior to IVF procedures. Em was assessed in capacitated and non-capacitated sperm from normospermic donors at three time points over 28 days, using a fluorometric assay. Capacitated values were compared to a −48.6 mV threshold previously associated with successful fertilization. Intra-donor Em variability and coefficients of variation (CV) were analyzed statistically. Our results showed that Em values exhibited significant intra-donor variability over time (p = 0.007), with approximately half of the donors crossing the −48.6 mV functional threshold across sessions. Capacitated sperm samples showed significantly greater variability than non-capacitated ones, with several donors exceeding a 30% CV cutoff. No consistent correlation was found between CV and mean Em values. While Em remains a promising functional marker when assessed on the day of IVF, its temporal variability undermines its reliability as a predictive tool for ART decisions made in advance. These findings underscore the importance of timing in functional sperm assessments and call for further studies to identify the physiological factors influencing Em stability.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-07
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/271555
Steeman, Tomás José; Baró Graf, Carolina; Novero, Analia Guadalupe; Buffone, Mariano Gabriel; Krapf, Dario; High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes; MDPI; Biology; 14; 7; 7-2025; 1-10
2079-7737
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/271555
identifier_str_mv Steeman, Tomás José; Baró Graf, Carolina; Novero, Analia Guadalupe; Buffone, Mariano Gabriel; Krapf, Dario; High Variability in Human Sperm Membrane Potential over Time Can Limit Its Reliability as a Predictor in ART Outcomes; MDPI; Biology; 14; 7; 7-2025; 1-10
2079-7737
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/biology14070851
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
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instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
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