Sperm centriole disfunction and sperm immotility

The two main causes of complete or nearly complete asthenozoospermia are ne crozoospermia (presence of only non-viable spermatozoa) and the different u ltrastructural abnormalities of spermatozoa. Ultrastructural alterations ma y affect also the function of the sperm centrosome, which can result in imp aired motility. Because in human the inheritance,of the centrosome is pater nal and thus linked to the sperm, morphological or functional alterations o f it can also be associated with fertilization abnormalities of the oocyte and cleavage irregularities of the embryo. Most of the cases of asthenozoos permia can be treated efficiently by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) using ejaculated sperm (from repeated ejaculation) in combination with hy po-osmotic swelling test (HOST) or using testicular sperm depending on the etiology of the impairment. Replacement of abnormal centriole using donor s perm is a theoretical possibility, but at present it is not an efficient me thod. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.