Figure 5: Human sperm motility parameters for slither swimming mode as compared with bulk swimming mode, as a function of viscosity.
From: Two-dimensional slither swimming of sperm within a micrometre of a surface
(a) Curvilinear velocity (VCL), (b) average path velocity (VAP), (c) straight line velocity (VSL), (d) linearity (LIN), (e) wobble (WOB), (f) mean curvature (MCR), (g) amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and (h) beat cross frequency (BCF) for slither swimmer human sperm compared with bulk swimmer sperm in media with viscosity ranging from 20 to 250 mPa·s (n≥126). Human sperm swimming in slither mode showed significantly higher velocities compared with sperm swimming in bulk fluid in media with the same viscosity. Increase in viscosity negatively affect sperm motility. Values are reported as mean±s.d., and P values were determined by the two-tailed t-test, *P≤0.05, **P≤0.01 and ***P≤0.001.
