London - A liquid made from a patient’s blood and injected into a sample of their semen could treat male infertility.
Researchers in Spain are testing the idea that ‘spinning’ blood to extract platelet-rich plasma (PRP) — a concentrated mix of substances in the blood that help cells grow — could make sperm swim faster and increase pregnancy rates in couples seeking fertility treatment.
Up to a third of infertile couples could benefit from the technology, according to the researchers, who are led by top fertility specialist Dr Marcos Ferrando.
Around one in seven couples will have difficulty conceiving, according to the NHS. In a quarter of these cases, the cause is unknown.
Male infertility is thought to be the reason behind half of the remainder and is most commonly due to problems with the sperm’s motility (ability to swim). Other causes include issues with the ejaculation mechanism, low levels of testosterone or as a side-effect of certain medications.
Male fertility requires the production of an adequate number of normal sperm with good quality tails to help them swim effectively and quickly enough into the female reproductive tract.
Yet there are no fertility treatments available to speed up sperm movement to enhance the chance of fertilisation. Now researchers are exploring the value of platelets, a component of blood, for infertility.
Blood is mainly made up of a clear, yellow-ish liquid called plasma, along with red cells, white cells and platelets.
Platelets are best known for their importance in clotting blood, but they also contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors, which are important in the healing of injuries.
Blood can be ‘spun’ to extract the plasma, platelets and growth factors so the latter are present in higher concentration — up to ten times greater than usual.
The technique has been used to treat tendon injuries and baldness, but recently studies have found that one growth factor in particular — platelet activating factor — naturally influences sperm. The more there is of it in a man’s sperm, the better the sperm’s motility.
In a new trial starting this month, researchers at the IVI Bilbao and BTI Vitoria clinics in Spain will test the theory that adding PRP rich in growth factors to a sample of semen will improve the quality of sperm.
In the treatment, around 9ml of blood is taken from a patient’s arm and put into a mixer that spins so fast the blood separates into its individual constituents.
Scientists will then extract the PRP containing growth factors and mix it with donated semen samples.
The theory is that the sperm will absorb a higher concentration of growth factors, making them healthier and potentially more fertile. Animal studies have suggested that PRP can boost sperm health.
In one trial on mice by Odessa National Medical University in Ukraine, injections of PRP restored the health of sperm-producing tissue that had been damaged.
For the Spanish trial, 58 sperm donors will also give blood samples. Researchers will spin half of the blood samples to create PRP for each donor and the solutions will be mixed in half of the semen samples, while others will be left alone.
Over three months, fertility specialists will compare the quality of the sperm samples using a seminogram test, which also assesses sperm motility.
Concentrated PRP may have clinical use if studies can demonstrate sustained improvements that will allow conception to occur, says Dr Simon Fishel, president of Care Fertility clinics.
‘However, even sperm with good motility have problems fertilising an egg because there are very many chemical processes that need to be undertaken,’ he says.
Daily Mail