The use of microfluidics in artificial reproductive technologies for manipulation or assessment of spermatozoa is unique in the sense that it is not always an end point measurement and the sample may be used afterward. During microfluidic processing, spermatozoa are exposed to shear stress, which may harm viability and functioning of spermatozoa. The shear stresses during general microfluidic processing steps were calculated and compared to estimated shear stresses during ejaculation. The viability of boar and bull spermatozoa after microfluidic processing was studied and compared to the typical handling method (centrifugation) and to a control (the sample in a tube at the same temperature). The boar spermatozoa showed a small but significant decrease in viability of 6% after microfluidic handling. Bull spermatozoa proved to be less susceptible to shear stress and were not significantly affected by microfluidic processing. These data indicate that the impact of microfluidic processing on the viability of boar and bull spermatozoa is less than the literature values reported for flow cytometry and comparable to the impact of centrifugation.

中文翻译：

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微流处理对公猪和公牛精子活力的影响。

在人工生殖技术中使用微流控技术来操作或评估精子是独一无二的，因为它并不总是终点测量，并且可以在以后使用样品。在微流处理过程中，精子受到剪切应力，这可能会损害精子的生存能力和功能。计算了一般微流体加工步骤中的切应力，并将其与射精时的估计切应力进行比较。研究了微流处理后公猪和公牛精子的生存力，并将其与典型的处理方法（离心）和对照（在相同温度下的试管中的样品）进行了比较。公猪精子在微流处理后显示出6％的活力小幅但显着下降。事实证明，公牛精子不易受到剪切应力的影响，并且不受微流体加工的显着影响。这些数据表明，微流处理对公猪和公牛精子活力的影响小于流式细胞术报道的文献值，并且与离心作用相当。