ANTI-SEMINAL PLASMA ANTIBODIES ASSOCIATED WITH INFERTILITY .2. COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN-ANTIBODY BINDING TO NORMOSPERMIC, ASTHENOSPERMIC, AND AZOOSPERMIC SEMINAL PLASMA ANTIGENS

PROBLEM: Sera from infertile patients with elevated reactivity against normozoospermic seminal plasma (NSP) have been selected to investigat e human antibody binding to seminal fluid antigens present in abnormal ejaculates. METHOD: Sera from 32 idiopathically infertile patients an d 44 control sera from fertile individuals were examined by ELISA agai nst: 1) pooled seminal plasma from asthenozoospermic ejaculates (AsthS P), 2) pooled seminal plasma from patients with aspermatogenic azoospe rmia (AzooSP), and 3) chromatographic fractions from NSP, AsthSP and A zooSP. RESULTS: Of 32 patients positive for anti-NSP antibodies, only four exhibited increased reactivity to whole AsthSP and/or AzooSP, whi le 14 recognized antigens of different Mr and various distributions in the corresponding chromatographic fractions. CONCLUSION: Targets of h uman anti-NSP antibodies might be lacking, less concentrated, and/or m odified in AsthSP and AzooSP. These findings suggest their physiologic al importance and the possible relevance of the observed auto- and iso -immune responses to infertility.