SCA® Motility and concentration sperm analysis for animals

SCA® Motility and concentration is a module for the automatic analysis of the sperm motility and concentration in an animal semen sample.

This analysis module is also
available for Human and Toxicology.

Suitable for domestic animals, most of the vertebrates (mammals, avian, reptile, amphibian, fish) and invertebrates (e.g. mussels, oysters, sea urchins).

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Available for the following animal species

SCA® Motility and concentration last news

Histogram of velocity

New histogram with sperm velocity (VCL – Curvilinear Velocity).

Drift parameter

Option that enables to eliminate the drift movement in the sample.

Criteria selection

Spermatozoa paths can be visualized by several criteria.

Export videos

Export .avi videos including or excluding the analysis paths.

SCA® Motility and concentration main features

SCA® Motility and concentration detects the spermatozoa automatically.

Samples are analysed under negative phase contrast.

Fluorescence capture recommendable for those samples containing egg yolk or milk based extenders.

Accurate count and motility analysis are carried simultaneously.

Motile sperm is analysed by following the sperm trajectory and the velocity. The results, comprising all kinematic parameters for CASA, are then presented within seconds.

SCA® is a powerful tool, as CASA is the only objective method to analyse the total progressive and motile spermatozoa in a sample, hence giving the indication of the sperm fertilizing potential.

Additional information

SCA® Motility and concentration in SCA® Editions

Set up options

	Vet Edition	Tox Edition	Research Edition
Creating new analysis configurations
Modification of the fps images capture velocity
Modification of the optics, microscope scales and image capture options
Choosing analysis chamber (Leja®, Makler®, etc)
Motorised stage Prior optiscan III
Particle area selection (sperm head area)
VCL or VAP, STR, LIN, VAP, Connectivity, Sort, Analysis restrictions
Species: Human	–	–
Species: All (human, and all animals, including rat and mouse)	–	–
Species: All animals with oval sperm head		–
Species: rat and mouse	–

Digital camera

	Vet Edition	Tox Edition	Research Edition
Specific digital Basler camera with 780×580 resolution and up to 75 fps capture velocity
Specific digital Basler camera with 1280×1024 resolution and up to 200 fps capture velocity

Results provided

	Vet Edition	Tox Edition	Research Edition
Total sperm counted
Percentage of the counted sperm that are Static, Non progressive and progressive
Concentration in M/ml and in the sample volume
Concentration in M/ml and in the sample volume of Static, Non-progressive and Progressive
Total analysed and Percentage of the Rapid, Medium, Slow and Static
Concentration in M/ml and in the sample volume the Rapid, Medium, Slow and Static
Total analysed and percentage of Rapid progressive, Medium Progressive, Non-progressive and Static
Concentration in M/ml and in the sample volume of the Rapid Progressive, Medium Progressive, Non-progressive and Static
Head area Average in square µm
Head area in Static, Slow, Medium and Rapid spermatozoa analysed
Average of Round Cell M/ml
Total Round Cell concentration in M/ml
Total analysed and percentage of Circular tracks
Average of VCL, VSL, VAP, LIN, STR, WOB in analysed spermatozoa
Average of VCL, VSL, VAP, LIN, STR, WOB on Slow, Medium and Rapid Spermatozoa analysed
Total and percentage of Hyperactive spermatozoa analysed
Concentration of Hyperactive spermatozoa M/ml and M/Sample
Average values of ALH, and BCF in analysed spermatozoa
ALH and BCF values in Slow and Rapid progressive sperm
Captured images and distribution charts
Captured Videos

Compatible modules

	Vet Edition	Tox Edition	Research Edition
SCA® dataShare
SCA® Stage Controller
SCA® Capture
SCA® Viewer
SCA® Editor
SCA® Droplets		–

Technical specifications

Specifications

Motility and concentration are analyzed in Phase contrast microscopy (an optical microscopy technique that converts phase shifts in light passing through a transparent specimen to brightness changes in the image These phase shifts, although invisible, become visible when shown as brightness variations allowing the clear visualization of the semen sample).

Or Fluorescence (The specimen is illuminated with light of a specific wavelength which is absorbed by the fluorochromes, causing them to emit light of longer wavelengths (i.e., of a different color than the absorbed light)

Images are captured with high frame rate digital camera Basler (25 , 50, 75 or up to 200 fps)

Automatic detection of non homogeneous fields, allowing a consistent analysis

There is a sort function that permits to create groups of sperm population, useful in any sperm research.

Modifiable parameters: Particle area for sperm detection, Velocity Classification, VAP, Frame rate, Connectivity, Circularity, Parameter restriction, for example as elongation (to improve the cell detection)

Other modifiable parameters: color mask of the path.

Allows capture up to 30 fields of the sample

Capture time is 1 second per field

Compatible with several disposable analysis chambers like Leja® or Makler® counting chamber

Parameters analyzed

Counting

Kinematic parameters:

VCL, curvilinear velocity (m/s). Time-averaged velocity of a sperm head along its actual curvilinear path, as perceived in two dimensions in the microscope. A measure of cell vigour.

VSL, straight-line (rectilinear) velocity (µm/s). Time-averaged velocity of a sperm head along the straight line between its first detected position and its last.

VAP, average path velocity (µm/s). Time-averaged velocity of a sperm head along its average path. This path is computed by smoothing the curvilinear trajectory according to algorithms in the SCA Motility module.

ALH, amplitude of lateral head displacement (µm). Magnitude of lateral displacement of a sperm head about its average path. It can be expressed as a maximum or an average of such displacements.

LIN, linearity. The linearity of a curvilinear path, VSL/VCL.

WOB, wobble. A measure of oscillation of the actual path about the average path, VAP/VCL.

STR, straightness. Linearity of the average path, VSL/VAP.

BCF, beat-cross frequency (Hz). The average rate at which the curvilinear path crosses the average path.