Remifentanil impairs sperm motility reversibly in vitro

The study is to observe the effects of remifentanil on human sperm motility in vitro. After spermatozoa were washed and resuspended in Ham's F-10 medium, the washed human sperm suspensions were treated in vitro with different concentrations of remifentanil for 30 min. Sperm motility was assessed by computer-assisted sperm analysis at 5, 10, 15, and 30 min. Remifentanil significantly decreased (a + b) grade spermatozoa, between 5 and 10 min at the concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 μg L(-1) in a dose-dependent manner and effects no significant difference at 15 and 30 min as compared with control groups. The results suggest that there is indication that this drug has short-term effect on sperm motility.