Effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma on human sperm quality during cryopreservation

As a source of growth factors, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely used in the repair of various injuries due to its cytoprotective properties in regenerative medicine. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of autologous PRP supplementation on the quality of frozen-thawed human sperm. Twelve normozoospermic semen samples were collected, and each sample was divided into 4 aliquots and added with different proportions of PRP (0%, 2%, 5%, and 10%) separately, followed by cryopreservation. Sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity, DNA fragmentation index (DFI), reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured and analyzed. The results showed that the addition of 5% PRP improved sperm progressive motility (30.3 ± 2.7 VS. 28.1 ± 2.6), viability (65.5 ± 4.2 VS. 59.6 ± 3.9), and membrane integrity (52.4 ± 3.6 VS. 49.2 ± 3.4) after cryopreservation (P < 0.05). Slight attenuation of ROS generation, restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential and reduction of DNA fragments were also observed in post-thawed sperm supplemented with PRP, but there was no significant (P > 0.05). In conclusion, autologous PRP has a partial protective effect on cryopreservation of human spermatozoa, and the combined application with other high-efficiency cryoprotectant is worthy of further study.