Of all the cells in the human body, the ovules and Sperm are some of the most specialized. To fulfill its function, sperm have a series of very particular characteristics and two of the most striking are their shape and ability to move. Within that all sperm have more or less the same shape and are mobile, in man we can differentiate different kinds of sperm according to fit an ideal model or prototype. We will talk about how the “model” sperm is, the types of sperm according to their morphology and the types of sperm according to their movement. If you want to know more about this topic, read on!
The sperm model: its shape and movement
In general, human sperm are a cell formed by three parts : a head, an intermediate piece and a tail. The head has a slightly rounded triangle shape, on whose base the intermediate piece is placed. The intermediate piece is a structure similar to a pipe, inside which there are a lot of mitochondria and microtubules. The intermediate piece is followed by the flagellum or tail, which has a shape similar to a whip or the tail of some animals. The base of the flagellum, which connects with the intermediate piece, is thicker and becomes thinner and thinner until it reaches the end.
On the other hand, sperm move along a line more or less straight and forward, although they do wave, similar to how a snake moves. Therefore, it is said that the normal spermatozoa has a progressive linear serpenteante movement.
Types of sperm according to their morphology
As we have seen previously, the normal morphology of human sperm is very simple but it is not uncommon to find sperm that have some deformation. These alterations can affect any of the three parts and, according to this we can classify the sperm in:
- Spermatozoa with alterations in the head . The main alterations of the sperm heads are in relation to their size. We can squeeze sperm with the head too small or too large, heads are tapered (with a narrowing in the middle), with the head too elongated, heads with too many vacuoles (vacuolization) or too little acrosome. In addition, it is not uncommon to find sperm with more than one head, being normal to find one with two or three heads.
- Spermatozoa with alterations in the intermediate piece . The alterations of the intermediate piece are not usually perceived so easily since it is a smaller area than the head or tail but they also take place. The most normal alterations are those related to the union with the head; under normal conditions, the head and the intermediate piece are joined perpendicularly, but sometimes these can be joined sideways forming an angle greater than 90 degrees. At other times, the intermediate piece is too thick, too thin, curved, irregular or does not contain mitochondria.
- Spermatozoa with alterations in the tail . The alterations in the tail of the most predominant sperm are: short tail, double or multiple tail (usually up to four tails) or tails with fork shape, rat tail, bent or rolled. Most of these anomalies do not prevent the sperm from fertilizing the egg, but they do make it more difficult and improbable.
Types of sperm according to their movement
As we have seen above, the sperm move along a progressive linear trajectory as they move their body like a snake. They are sperm with progressive linear movement , which advance in a straight line and forward. Its movement is the ideal since it is the most effective to reach the ovule and fertilize it. Occasionally, alterations in the movement of the sperm may occur, which give rise to other types of sperm.
Spermatozoa with non-progressive movement
First, we can find sperm with non-progressive movement. This is the name of the sperm that, no matter how much they move, can not move forward. An example is sperm that rotate on themselves, like a spinning top. This type of sperm fail to advance in their trajectory, so they will never get to fertilize the egg.
With non-linear but progressive movement
Second we can find sperm with non-linear but progressive movement. In this case, the sperm move forward, but do not follow a straight line. When we observe them under a microscope, these sperm cells usually deviate to the side or nod off a lot, so they progress more slowly than sperm with progressive linear movement. In this case, these sperm can reach the ovule and fertilize it, but it is more difficult for them than those sperm that have a progressive linear movement.
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