Evaluation of sperm mitochondrial function using rh123/PI dual fluorescent staining in asthenospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia

Objective：The recent advent of flow cytometry（FCM）,coupled with fluorescent dyes,has been successfully applied to assess mitochondrial function.The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and clinical significance of detecting sperm mitochondrial function and to evaluate sperm mitochondrial function by using Rhodamine 123/propidium（Rh123/PI）dual fluorescent staining and FCM in asthenospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia.Methods：Twenty-five fertile men（with normal sperm parameters）and 230 infertile patients were examined.Fifty-five patients of the above 230 patients were selected for idiopathic infertility samples and were divided into two groups：asthenospermia（n=30）and oligoasthenozoospermia（n=25）.Rh123/PI dual fluorescent staining and FCM were carried out to examine sperm mitochondrial function.Results：Significant differences were found between the normal and abnormal semen samples（P0.05）when Rh123＋/PI-,Rh123-/PI＋and Rh123-/PI-sperm were examined by FCM,but there was no significant difference between the asthenospermia（P=0.469） and oligoasthenozoospermia group（P=0.950）when Rh123＋/PI-and Rh123-/PI＋sperm were then examined;however,a significant difference was found between the 2 groups（P=0.003）when Rh123-/PI-sperm were examined.There was no correlation between Rh123-/PI-sperm and semen parameters in the normal group,but there was a significant negative correlation between the sperm concentration and Rh123-/PI-sperm in asthenospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia patients（r=-0.509,-0.660;P=0.018,0.038）.Conclusion：Rh123/PI dual fluorescent staining and FCM can provide reliable information to assess the quality of sperm and reveal differences in mitochondrial membrane potential in asthenospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia.

Oligodendrocyte transcription factor 1 mRNA and protein expression in organotypic rat brain slices

Numerous studies have confirmed that oligodendrocyte transcription factor 1 （Olig-1） is vital for myelin repair. However, the effects of hypoxia and ischemia on Olig-1 expression remain unknown. In this study, Olig-1 mRNA and protein expressions were analyzed by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, to determine the expression profile of Olig-1 in rat brain slices exposed to hypoxia and ischemia. Brains were obtained from 2-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats, and sections were randomly assigned to control and hypoxia/ischemia groups. Hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed karyorrhexis and karyopyknosis in cells from the hypoxia/ischemia group. Under electron microscopy, mitochondria swelling and neuropil edema were observed in the hypoxiaJischemia group. Olig-1 mRNA and protein expressions were increased at 1 day after hypoxia and ischemia treatment. These results suggest that in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry could be used simultaneously to detect mRNA and protein expression in brain slices.