JP4501770B2 - Set including tube and holder for sperm concentration washing - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sperm concentration container used as a fertility treatment such as artificial insemination in assisted reproduction (ART).

  In the treatment of infertility, in the case of infertility due to male factors, ART such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization is usually performed. The reason for this is that male factor infertility is often due to poor semen findings such as fewer motor sperm, and in this case of poor semen findings, it can not be said that the effect of drug treatment is high, This is because treatment by artificial fertilization has come.

  Specifically, artificial insemination is to inject semen directly into the uterine cavity to assist the movement of sperm, and in vitro fertilization to take out an egg and sperm for fertilization. In these methods, in order to further increase the possibility that fertilization is achieved, a sperm concentrate with increased sperm concentration is prepared, and if it is artificial insemination, it is injected into the uterus. Try to fertilize with eggs with the solution, or collect sperm with superior motility by sieving and use for microinsemination.

The significance of the process of concentrating sperm is that increasing the sperm density as much as possible not only increases the chance of fertilization but also increases its probability, but also has the effect of removing seminal plasma and germs that impede fertilization. In addition, this product has the feature that it is possible to avoid infection even when sexually transmitted pathogens exist in the upper layer by breaking only the collection layer with the container.

  As a method for preparing such a sperm concentrate, there are a method of centrifuging a mixed solution of semen and a culture solution, and a method of precipitating sperm using Percoll and semen. As a method using the above-mentioned percoll, using a tube provided with a rubber cap at the opening of the rear end, and having a fragile portion at the small diameter portion formed on the front end side, the percoll is concentrated from semen by centrifugation. A separation method has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). This separation method is intended to separate Percoll from the sedimented portion where sperm is concentrated, since Percoll endotoxin levels are generally high.

JP 2000-288082 A

  However, the tube (centrifugal tube) having a fragile portion in the thin diameter portion formed on the distal end side is likely to be broken by centrifuging. In addition, in order to facilitate the breaking of the fragile portion of the small-diameter portion made of glass, when the fragile portion communicated in the circumferential direction of the small-diameter portion is formed, the centrifugal tube When centrifugation is performed at 3000 rpm using a cylindrical holder that comes into contact with the small-diameter portion, the small-diameter portion may be broken by centrifugation, resulting in loss of sperm. Such a loss is not only a reduction in work efficiency during treatment, but also a burden on the sperm provider.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sperm concentrating container and a holder for the sperm concentrating container in which the small diameter portion is not broken from the weak part even by centrifugation, and the concentrated sperm is not lost even by centrifugation. It is to provide a set containing.

  Therefore, the present inventors are a set including a sperm concentration container and a holder for the sperm concentration container, and the sperm concentration container is a sperm concentration container including a trunk part and a small diameter part, The body portion has a substantially cylindrical shape with an open end, and the narrow-diameter portion has a substantially tubular shape with a diameter smaller than that of the body portion, and has a bottom portion. The diameter portion is formed with a fragile portion communicating in the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion, and the holder includes an opening and an inclined portion, and the small diameter portion can be accommodated inside the holder. A narrow portion accommodating space is formed, and the inclined portion is formed so that the space gradually expands toward the opening, and the narrow portion accommodating space is formed so that the narrow portion is disposed inside the narrow portion accommodating space. Including a sperm concentrating container and a holder, wherein the narrow diameter part on the bottom side of the weak part does not come into contact with the holder when stored in the container. Tsu DOO, by the use of, even by centrifugation at a rotation rate that can be concentrated sperm in a centrifuge, found that sperm concentration vessel never broken from fragile portion, leading to the present invention.

  As described above, the set of the sperm concentration container and the holder of the present invention is safe and can be used suitably for assisted reproductive medicine because a sperm concentrate can be obtained without imposing a burden on the sperm provider. Can do.

  Hereinafter, the set containing the sperm concentration container of this invention and a holder is demonstrated using figures. However, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described in these drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a set of a sperm concentration container and a holder according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sperm concentration container used in the set of FIG. Fig.3 (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the example of embodiment used for the set described in FIG. 1 about the holder used for the set of this invention. 3 (b) and 3 (c) are longitudinal sectional views of other embodiments of the holder of the present invention.

  The set shown in FIG. 1 is a combination of a sperm concentration container 1 and a holder 11. The small diameter part 2 of the sperm concentration container 1 is accommodated in a small diameter part accommodating space 13 formed by the tubular part 12 of the holder 11. The holder 11 includes an opening 14. Furthermore, an inclined portion 16 that connects the opening portion 14 and the upper end portion of the tubular portion 12 is formed so that the tubular portion is positioned at substantially the center of the circular opening portion 14 when viewed from above in FIG.

  The sperm concentration container 1 is placed on the holder by inserting the small diameter portion 2 from the opening formed by the opening end of the holder 11, and is attached to the centrifuge in a state combined with the holder. Used for centrifugation operation. The sperm concentration container 1 is in contact with the open end 14 at the intermediate portion 3 when placed on the holder 2. Furthermore, the sperm concentration container 1 is in contact with the end 15 of the inclined part above the fragile part 4 of the sperm concentration container 1. When the end portion 15 comes into contact with the sperm concentration container above the fragile portion 4, the sperm concentration container is held in the lateral direction. Therefore, the sperm concentration container is held in the vertical direction at the opening end 14 and is held in the horizontal direction at the end 15, so that the sperm concentration container is stably held by the holder 11. At the opening 14 and the end 15, the holder 11 is in contact with the circumference of the sperm concentration container, so that the sperm concentration container is stably held by the holder as compared with the case where the holder 11 is in contact at one point at each site. Can do. Further, since the sperm concentration container 1 does not come into contact with the holder 11 below the fragile portion 4, that is, at the bottom side of the fragile portion, no force is applied to the fragile portion. There is nothing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sperm concentration container 1 of FIG. 1 includes a substantially cylindrical body portion 6 having an open end portion 5, a small diameter portion 2 having a bottom portion 7 at the tip, and an intermediate portion 3. ing. The intermediate part 3 is a part that connects the body part 6 and the small diameter part 2, is formed so that the diameter is gradually reduced, and is formed so as to have a smooth convex shape toward the inner side of the sperm concentration container. . The intermediate portion may be bent inward from the body portion at a substantially right angle and connected to the small diameter portion, or may be formed as a step. Further, the inclined portion may be formed with a linear inclination in a longitudinal section, or may have a shape that draws a gentle arc. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate part is formed so as to have a smooth convex shape toward the inner side of the sperm concentration container. Since the sperm concentration container and the holder are in contact with each other and no force is applied to one point of the sperm concentration container, it is preferable because the sperm concentration container is difficult to break.

  The sperm concentration container 1 is formed with a weakened portion 4 in a narrow diameter portion 2 in FIG. The sperm concentration container is folded at the fragile part in order to separate the small diameter part on the bottom side from the body side of the sperm concentration container. The fragile part has a distance d from the bottom part to the fragile part of 0.2 to 100 mm in order to obtain a desired amount of concentrated liquid of sperm existing near the bottom part after centrifugation. However, from the viewpoint of operation, it is preferably 5 to 50 mm.

Moreover, in the example of embodiment of FIG. 1, the sperm concentration container 1 is formed so that the length direction may become long compared with the direction of an internal diameter, in order to exhibit the effect as centrifugation. Therefore, the sperm concentration container 1 can be used as a tube for sperm concentration washing. The sperm concentration container may be made of a material that is difficult to break in the centrifugation operation, and glass or hard plastic such as polypropylene and polycarbonate can be used, but it is difficult to be deformed even by heat sterilization which is easy to sterilize. Therefore, a sperm concentration container made of glass is preferable. The holder used together with the sperm concentration container is not particularly limited in terms of the material, but it can be easily molded and is made of a synthetic resin holder such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, etc. It is preferable because the sperm concentration container is difficult to break in the separation.

  In FIG. 1, the shape of the small-diameter portion is a tubular shape having a smaller outer diameter than that of the body portion and a circular cross section. However, the shape of the small diameter portion may be a tube having a circular cross section or a tube having a polygonal cross section. When the shape of the small-diameter portion is a polygonal shape, it is desirable that the intermediate part and the body part be a polygonal shape for ease of manufacture. It is. When the entire sperm concentration container has a polygonal shape, contact between the sperm concentration container and the holder occurs at a specific corner, so that the sperm concentration container is easily broken during centrifugation. Therefore, it is preferable that the small-diameter portion has a circular cross section. The volume of the small-diameter portion is not particularly limited, but may be 0.01 to 0.30 mL so as to obtain a desired amount of sperm concentrate.

  The fragile portion may be formed by a known forming method such as shaving as long as it is formed in communication with the circumferential direction of the small diameter portion. The width and depth of the fragile portion are not particularly limited as long as it can be easily folded. Moreover, the said weak part is formed as one ring shape in FIG.1 and FIG.2. However, the number is not limited, and may be one for ease of formation of the fragile portion, or may be formed for easier folding.

  The holder 11 used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes an opening 14 and an inclined portion 16 as shown in FIG. Further, the holder 11 is formed with a small diameter portion accommodating space 13 on the inner side. The small diameter portion accommodating space 13 is formed by the tubular portion 12 so that the small diameter portion of the sperm concentration container can be accommodated. When the small-diameter portion of the sperm concentration container was inserted into the small-diameter portion accommodating space 13, the thin-diameter portion on the tip side from the fragile portion did not come into contact with the holder, and therefore centrifugation was performed. In this case, the sperm concentration container is not broken.

  The inclined portion 16 has a substantially trapezoidal space in the longitudinal section, and is formed so that the space gradually expands from the tubular portion direction toward the opening. Although the inclined portion 16 is formed in a straight line shape in the longitudinal sectional view, the inclined portion 16 is not particularly limited as long as the inclined portion 16 is formed so as to gradually widen the space toward the opening. Absent. The inclined portion can be formed in a gentle arcuate shape that is convex or concave in the direction facing the sperm concentrating container, for example.

  The holder of the present invention does not have to be provided with a tubular portion as long as it contacts at a plurality of points in the longitudinal direction of the sperm concentration container. Fig.3 (a)-FIG.3 (c) are the example embodiments of a holder which can contact | connect a sperm concentration container with an opening part and the edge part of an inclination part. In FIG. 3A, the tubular portion 12 is formed, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the holder 21 does not include the tubular portion. Further, since the opening 24 and the end portion 25 of the inclined portion are respectively in contact with the sperm concentration container at the circumference, the sperm concentration container is stably held. However, since the center of gravity of the holder is increased by the amount of the tubular portion, the holder having the tubular portion is preferable because there is no fear of falling.

  The embodiment example of FIG. 3C is an embodiment example in which the small-diameter portion accommodating space 33 is formed by the wall portion 32 of the holder 31. Also in the holder 31, since it contacts the sperm concentration container at two points of the opening 34 and the end 35, the holder 31 can stably hold the sperm concentration container. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C, the opening and the end of the inclined portion are in contact with the sperm concentration container to hold the sperm concentration container, but the vicinity of the end 35 of the tubular portion is shown. It is also possible to provide four or more protrusions to the sperm concentration container stably with the opening and the protrusions.

  A publicly known method can be used as a method of obtaining a sperm concentrate using the above-mentioned set of sperm concentration containers and holders. As the method, for example, first, semen is put into a sperm concentration container, and then a culture solution or the like is added, then the semen concentration container is covered, and then placed in a known centrifuge, and a predetermined condition (for example, Centrifuge at 3000 rpm for 20 minutes. In the sperm concentration container that has been subjected to the centrifugation operation, the liquid at the bottom of the small diameter portion is in a state where the sperm is concentrated. At this time, the sperm concentrate can be easily obtained in the separated small-diameter portion by folding at the fragile portion. Further, the lid is not particularly limited as long as it closes the opening of the sperm concentration container, but the space generated in the semen concentration container after the semen and culture solution are put in a reduced pressure state. It is preferable that the lid is capable of. This is because, by setting the reduced pressure state, it becomes difficult for the liquid on the body portion side to flow out after the narrow diameter portion on the bottom portion side is broken from the fragile portion. The lid capable of reducing the pressure of the space is not particularly limited, and is a lid having a rubber bag-like portion, which is installed at the opening end of the sperm concentration container. It is preferable to use a lid having a bag-like portion formed so that the inside of the bag-like portion communicates with the inner space of the sperm concentrating container. That is, the set including the sperm concentration container and the holder of the present invention may be a set including a lid having a rubber bag-like portion.

  As described above, the set of the sperm concentration container and the holder of the present invention is safe and can be used suitably for assisted reproductive medicine because a sperm concentrate can be obtained without imposing a burden on the sperm provider. Can do.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the example of one embodiment about the set of the sperm concentration container and holder of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sperm concentration container used for the set of FIG. (A) The longitudinal cross-sectional view in the example of an embodiment used for the set described in FIG. (B) The longitudinal cross-sectional view in the example of another embodiment used for the set of the sperm concentration container and holder of this invention. (C) The longitudinal cross-sectional view in the further another example of an embodiment used for the set of the sperm concentration container and holder of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sperm concentration container 2 Small diameter part 3 Middle part 4 Fragile part 5 Open end part 6 Trunk part 7 Bottom part 11 Holder 12 Tubular part 13 Small diameter part accommodation space 14 Opening part 15 End part 16 Inclined part 21 Inclined part 21 24 Opening 25 End part 31 of inclined part Holding tool 32 Wall part 33 Small diameter part accommodating space 34 Opening part 35 End part 36 of inclined part Inclined part

Claims (2)

A set comprising a sperm concentration container and a holder for the sperm concentration container,
The sperm concentration container is
A sperm concentration container including a trunk part, a narrow diameter part, and an intermediate part connecting the trunk part and the narrow diameter part ,
The body portion has a substantially cylindrical shape with an open end,
The narrow-diameter portion has a substantially tubular shape with a diameter smaller than that of the body portion, and has a bottom portion,
The narrow portion is formed with a weakened portion communicating in the circumferential direction of the thin portion,
The holder is
Comprising an opening and an inclined portion;
A small diameter portion accommodating space capable of accommodating the small diameter portion is formed inside the holder,
The inclined portion is formed so that the space gradually expands toward the opening,
The narrow- diameter portion accommodating space is formed by contacting an intermediate portion of the sperm concentrating container with an opening and an inclined portion of the holder when the narrow- diameter portion is accommodated inside the narrow- diameter portion accommodating space. A set comprising a sperm concentrating container and a holder, wherein the narrow part on the bottom side of the weak part does not come into contact with the holder. The small diameter portion accommodating space is formed by a tubular portion, and when the small diameter portion is accommodated inside the small diameter portion accommodating space, a gap of 0.1 to 10 mm is provided between the small diameter portion and the tubular portion. The set including the sperm concentration container and the holder according to claim 1, wherein the set is formed so that a gap is formed.

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