Sperm Selection Based on Electrostatic Charge

Charge is a fundamental property of all forms of matter that exhibit attraction or repulsion in the presence of another charged particle. This electrokinetic property occurs when the particles exhibiting a net negative or positive charge are subjected to an external electric field that exerts an electrostatic force between them. Sperm surface membranes exhibit varying levels of electrostatic potential that are proportional to the levels of sialic acid residue acquired on the cell surface during maturation. Electrostatic charge-based sperm separation is a recently developed technique that uses an electric field to isolate mature sperm with reduced levels of DNA fragmentation. Two methods for the separation of sperm based on electrostatic charge, the Zeta method and a commercially available electrophoretic method using the SpermSep Cell Sorter 10, are discussed in this chapter including a detailed protocol for sperm separation based on the Zeta method.