Supplementation of biotin to sperm preparation medium enhances fertilizing ability of spermatozoa and improves preimplantation embryo development

• Published in: Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 255 - 266
• Main Authors: Salian, Sujith Raj, Nayak, Guruprasad, Kumari, Sandhya, Patel, Sandesh, Gowda, Shruthi, Shenoy, Yashaswini, Sugunan, Sinoy, G.K, Rajanikant, Managuli, Renuka Suresh, Mutalik, Srinivas, Dahiya, Vandana, Pal, Samanwita, Adiga, Satish Kumar, Kalthur, Guruprasad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Asthenozoospermia - drug therapy; Asthenozoospermia - pathology; Biotin; Biotin - pharmacology; Blastocyst - drug effects; Blastocysts; Cell number; Cryopreservation; Culture Media - chemistry; Embryonic Development - drug effects; Embryos; Female; Fertilization; Fertilization - drug effects; Fertilization in Vitro - drug effects; Gamete Biology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - drug effects; Glucokinase; Glucokinase - genetics; Guanosine triphosphatases; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Infertility; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mice; Motility; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pentoxifylline - pharmacology; Pregnancy; Protein phosphatase; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1 - genetics; Protein-tyrosine-phosphatase; Reproductive Medicine; Reproductive technologies; Sperm; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Spermatozoa - growth & development; Supplements; Pentoxifylline; Blastocyst rate; Sperm motility; Biotin; Fertilization
• ISSN: 1058-0468; 1573-7330
• DOI: 10.1007/s10815-018-1323-1

Purpose Motility of spermatozoa helps not only in planning the type of infertility treatment but also directly reflects the success rate in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Previously, biotin, a water-soluble vitamin, has been shown to increase the motility and longevity of cryopreserved human spermatozoa. The present study was designed to understand the molecular basis of the beneficial effects of presence of biotin in sperm wash medium on early embryo development. Methods The effect biotin supplementation to sperm wash medium on the sperm parameters were assessed in swim-up fraction of normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic ejaculates collected from infertile men. Fertilization and early embryo development was studied using Swiss albino mice. Results Even though both biotin and pentoxifylline (PTX) enhanced the motility of spermatozoa from normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic samples, biotin group exhibited higher in vitro survival. Using mouse model, we observed that presence of biotin or PTX in sperm wash medium improved the fertilization rate and blastocyst rate compared to control. Blastocysts from these groups had significantly higher total cell number ( P  < 0.01) and lower apoptotic index. In silico target prediction revealed that GTPase HRas (HRas), tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 1 (PTP1B), and glucokinase are the probable targets for biotin. Solution-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies confirmed that biotin interacts both with human HRas and PTP1B. Conclusion Our results indicate that presence of biotin in sperm wash medium can improve the fertilization potential and preimplantation embryo development and can be considered as a safe alternate to PTX.