Our Fertility Center offers a new fertility test for our male patients. MiOXSYS test allows us to evaluate sperm quality by measuring the levels of oxidative damage in the male patient's sperm sample.
MiOXSYS is an incredibly fast in vitro sperm test used to evaluate oxidative biological damage tissue in sperm. By using electrochemical technology, it allows to measure static oxidation-reduction potential (sORP) parameters in male sperm in millivolts (mV), which in turn allows to quantify the damage level in sperm. MiOXSYS is the most accurate, easiest and quickest oxidative damage level test in the market at the moment.
Multiple studies have confirmed the negative influence of oxidative stress on male fertility. In around 25% to 40% of male infertility cases, the core causes can be due to the damage caused by oxidative stress. Because of that, in order to prescribe the correct treatment, along with the regular sperm parameter testing, it is crucial to evaluate the levels of oxidative damage in the male patient's sperm.
Purpose
The main purpose of the MiOXSYS test is to evaluate the sperm quality of the male patient during fertility testing. Along with the regular fertility testing, which evaluates various sperm quality factors (the amount of ejaculate, sperm concentration, general spermatozoa number, general motility, progressive motility and sperm morphology), MiOXSYS test allows the doctor to ascertain and quantify oxidative stress damage to the male patient's sperm, in order to prescribe the required fertility treatment.
The Test - Summarized
Oxidative damage is described as a chemical imbalance between reactive oxygen and similar oxidants versus the patient's biological capability to neutralize the oxidative material or to heal the damage they cause. This imbalance, in the long run, is toxic to the patient's body, and can lead to various health problems, including protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation.
MiOXSYS test, by measuring static oxidation-reduction potential (sORP), allows the doctor evaluate the degree of oxidative and reductive damage in any biological material, such as male patient's sperm. This potential is known as and used as a measurement tool between the general oxidative activity and general reductive activity, which is in turn measured by MiOXSYS test.
During MiOXSYS testing, the male patient's sperm oxidative damage level is measured via a sORP electrode, and the results are interpreted by a qualified professional. It is crucial to understand that MiOXSYS results are not stand-alone, and should be interpreted in context of other sperm quality testing variables (the amount of ejaculate, sperm concentration, general spermatozoa number, general motility, progressive motility and sperm morphology).
Because of that, MiOXSYS test is used in tandem with several other sperm quality tests. However, unlike other tests, MiOXSYS allows to evaluate the extent of oxidative stress damage on male patient's sperm. Before MiOXSYS, similar tests were only capable in ascertaining a reverse dependency between reactive oxygens in the patient's body and sperm concentration, motility and amount, which, being only one of potential oxidative damage symptoms, and, therefore, is much harder to evaluate.
Unlike regular sperm protein tests that only reveal both oxidant and antioxidant changes separately, MiOXSYS test evaluation is based on both oxidant and antioxidant activity at the same time. Because of that, it can ascertain the full extent of oxidative damage to the male sperm.
How Does It Work
MiOXSYS system is based on electrochemical technology, which combines a platinum electrode sensor with a comparative Ag/AgCl cuvette and a galvanostatic analyzer, which, in turn, closes the chain. After acquiring the male patient's sperm sample, the sample is then transfered onto the sensor, which is placed into the analyzer. The sample then flows through the powered-on electrode, filling up the comparative cuvette and closing the electrochemical chain.
Once the sample covers the electrode, the tension between the cuvette and the electrode is measured in 0.5 second intervals. After around 3 minutes, the final sORP test result, calculated from the average results of the last 10 seconds (or 20 intervals), is revealed, and oxidative damage is evaluated.
By using this test, the male patient can get a more accurate diagnosis and prescription in order to solve their infertility problems faster than before.