{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T18:20:39Z","timestamp":1775586039286,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775520000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000897","name":"Cystic Fibrosis Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MARKOV22I0"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MARKOV22I0"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000897","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100021914","name":"Grand Challenges in Global Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["INV-024195"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["INV-024195"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100021914","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mucus in the endocervix serves as fertility gatekeeper in the reproductive tract through hormonally regulated changes in biophysical properties. Cervical mucus can thicken to prevent ascension of sperm into the upper reproductive tract or thin to permit fertilization. Current reproductive studies of mucus viscoelastic properties rely on subjective visual appraisal of cervical mucus changes. Our goal was to use particle tracking microrheology (PTMR) to objectively assess cervical mucus viscoelastic properties and associate these measurements with in vitro measures of sperm velocity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Using cervical mucus obtained from rhesus macaques (\n                      <jats:italic>Macaca mulatta<\/jats:italic>\n                      ) at necropsy, we used to PTMR to measure viscoelasticity (\u03b7*) under stepwise, serial dilutions. In parallel we measure sperm velocity using custom sperm tracking and analysis workflows.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We report that both mucus \u03b7* and sperm velocity displayed a concentration-dependent behavior, where \u03b7* increased as mucus concentration increased, and sperm velocity correspondingly decreased. Viscoelasticity and sperm velocity were strongly negatively correlated (p\u2009&lt;\u20090.001).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PTMR and sperm tracking in mucus provide quantitative measure of viscoelastic mucus changes. PTMR is potentially a method for quantitatively assessing fertility potential in the cervix that could be applied to both infertility and contraceptives studies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0325574","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T17:30:45Z","timestamp":1775583045000},"page":"e0325574","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cervical mucus viscoelasticity and sperm velocity are correlated and concentration-dependent in Vitro"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3931-0594","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Matthew R.","family":"Markovetz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shuhao","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chris","family":"Celluci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mackenzie","family":"Roberts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leo","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0325574.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"310","DOI":"10.1016\/j.contraception.2017.07.168","article-title":"Cervical mucus and contraception: what we know and what we don\u2019t","volume":"96","author":"L Han","year":"2017","journal-title":"Contraception"},{"key":"pone.0325574.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2092","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deu195","article-title":"The role of the cervix in fertility: Is it time for a reappraisal?","volume":"29","author":"F Martyn","year":"2014","journal-title":"Human Reproduction"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0325574.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(16)42315-0","article-title":"Human cervical mucus. I. Rheologic characteristics","volume":"28","author":"DP Wolf","year":"1977","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"pone.0325574.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1002\/j.1879-3479.1972.tb00857.x","article-title":"The cervical score: a simple semiquantitative method for monitoring of the menstrual cycle","volume":"10","author":"V Insler","year":"1972","journal-title":"International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0325574.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.theriogenology.2013.09.004","article-title":"Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA): capabilities and potential developments","volume":"81","author":"RP Amann","year":"2014","journal-title":"Theriogenology"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0325574.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(16)43454-0","article-title":"Human cervical mucus. IV. Viscoelasticity and sperm penetrability during the ovulatory menstrual cycle","volume":"30","author":"DP Wolf","year":"1978","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0325574.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1801297","DOI":"10.1183\/13993003.01297-2018","article-title":"Pathological mucus and impaired mucus clearance in cystic fibrosis patients result from increased concentration, not altered pH","volume":"52","author":"DB Hill","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur Respir J"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0325574.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"405","DOI":"10.1016\/0002-9378(72)90617-5","article-title":"A composite picture of the menstrual cycle","volume":"114","author":"KS Moghissi","year":"1972","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynecol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0325574.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1191","DOI":"10.1093\/biolre\/ioaa039","article-title":"Conditionally reprogrammed macaque endocervical cells retain steroid receptor expression and produce mucus","volume":"102","author":"L Han","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biol Reprod"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0325574.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2384","DOI":"10.3390\/ani11082384","article-title":"Improved Training and Semen Collection Outcomes Using the Closed Box Chair for Macaques","volume":"11","author":"LA Houser","year":"2021","journal-title":"Animals (Basel)"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0325574.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1152\/ajplung.00238.2019","article-title":"Endotracheal tube mucus as a source of airway mucus for rheological study","volume":"317","author":"MR Markovetz","year":"2019","journal-title":"Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0325574.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1007\/s003970000094","article-title":"Estimating the viscoelastic moduli of complex fluids using the generalized Stokes-Einstein equation","volume":"39","author":"TG Mason","year":"2000","journal-title":"Rheologica Acta"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0325574.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1801297","DOI":"10.1183\/13993003.01297-2018","article-title":"Pathological mucus and impaired mucus clearance in cystic fibrosis patients result from increased concentration, not altered pH","volume":"52","author":"DB Hill","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur Respir J"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0325574.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"387","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcf.2021.07.019","article-title":"Pregnancy in cystic fibrosis: Review of the literature and expert recommendations","volume":"21","author":"R Jain","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Cystic Fibrosis"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0325574.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"038101","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevLett.104.038101","article-title":"Viscoelastic fluid response can increase the speed and efficiency of a free swimmer","volume":"104","author":"J Teran","year":"2010","journal-title":"Phys Rev Lett"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0325574.ref016","article-title":"Comparing endocervical mucus proteome of humans and rhesus macaques","volume":"15","author":"L Han","year":"2021","journal-title":"Proteomics Clin Appl"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0325574.ref017","article-title":"A biophysical basis for mucus solids concentration as a candidate biomarker for airways disease","volume":"9","author":"DB Hill","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0325574","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T17:30:50Z","timestamp":1775583050000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0325574"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Ayman A","family":"Swelum","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0325574","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]]}}}