COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF HUMAN CERVICAL-MUCUS AND A CERVICAL-MUCUS SUBSTITUTE, HEALONID, ON CAPACITATION AND THE ACROSOME REACTION OF HUMAN SPERMATOZOA IN-VITRO

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of human cerv ical mucus on capacitation and the acrosome reaction of human spermato zoa and compare its effect to that of a cervical mucus substitute, sod ium hyaluronate (Healonid), Spermatozoa from donors of proven fertilit y were isolated from semen using cervical mucus, Healonid or a direct swim-up (acting as the control). Sperm capacitation and the acrosome r eaction were monitored by the chlortetracycline assay, In the mucus-tr eated group, there was a significantly higher percentage of capacitate d spermatozoa, but a low incidence of spontaneous and A23187-induced a crosome reactions compared to the control, The use of Healonid during sperm isolation mimicked the effect of mucus relatively successfully, Since mucus and Healonid show very little chemical similarity, this fi nding would imply that cervical mucus exerts a physical effect during its interaction with spermatozoa, although a chemical effect cannot be completely dismissed, In conclusion, this study confirms early report s describing the ability of cervical mucus to capacitate spermatozoa b ut at the same time conserve sperm function, The finding that Healonid exerts an almost identical effect on spermatozoa would lend support t o its use as a cervical mucus substitute during is-vitro fertility ass essments and research studies.