Aim: To investigate exosomes as a noninvasive delivery tool for mammalian sperm. Materials & Methods: Exosomes were isolated from HEK293T cells and co-incubated with boar sperm in vitro. Results: Internalized exosomes were detected within 10 min of co-incubation. Computer-assisted sperm analysis and flow cytometry demonstrated that even after 5-h of exposure to exosomes, there were no significant deleterious effects with regard to sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential (p > 0.05), thus indicating that exosomes did not interfere with basic sperm function. Conclusion: HEK293T-derived exosomes interacted with boar sperm without affecting sperm function. Exosomes represent a versatile and promising research tool for studying sperm biology and provide new options for the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.
Journal article
2020-08-01T00:00:00+00:00
15
1965 - 1980
15
delivery tool, exosome, infertility, reproductive medicine, sperm, Animals, Exosomes, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Male, Semen, Sperm Motility, Spermatozoa, Swine