%0 Journal Article
%T Initial Development of Microfluidic Platforms for Swine Sperm Sorting: Material Selection, Perfusion Mechanisms, and Flow Dynamics
%A Zhaobei Cai
%A Takele Tesgera Hurisa
%A Lezhang Wei
%A Qianqian Chen
%A Qin-Zhe Sun
%A Jing Chen
%J International Journal of Veterinary Research and Allied Sciences
%@ 3062-357X
%D 2025
%V 5
%N 1
%R 10.51847/nLsHp9MPXu
%P 84-92
%X Enhancing the efficiency of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in livestock breeding largely depends on improving semen quality by isolating only the most viable spermatozoa from ejaculates. While microfluidic systems have been widely explored for sperm sorting in humans, similar investigations in boar sperm remain scarce. Moreover, although sperm cells are known to be extremely sensitive to microplastics, the potential cytotoxicity of materials employed in microfluidic chip construction has yet to be addressed. This research aimed to examine the possible harmful influence of common microfluidic fabrication materials on boar sperm and to compare different liquid-handling systems (peristaltic, syringe, and pressure-driven microfluidic flow controllers) at three flow rates (10 μL·min⁻¹, 100 μL·min⁻¹, and 1 mL·min⁻¹). The objective was to generate preliminary insights to support the design of a swine-specific microfluidic sperm-sorting platform. Results indicated that none of the tested materials exhibited adverse effects at any concentration. The control group showed the greatest curvilinear velocity relative to both the peristaltic and pressure-based systems. Among the flow conditions, 10 μL·min⁻¹ yielded the least favorable sperm performance, while 1 mL·min⁻¹ demonstrated no significant difference from the control in any evaluated parameter. Overall, all investigated materials proved compatible with sperm viability, any of the pumps tested could be applied for sperm selection, and a flow rate of 1 mL·min⁻¹ was identified as the most effective for sperm transfer.
%U https://esvpub.com/article/initial-development-of-microfluidic-platforms-for-swine-sperm-sorting-material-selection-perfusion-oqio6yaw2dsqlpp