THE EFFECT OF PENTOXIFYLLINE ON SPERM MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND ZONA-PELLUCIDA BINDING POTENTIAL OF TERATOZOOSPERMIC MEN

This study investigates the effect of pentoxifylline on sperm movement and zona pellucida binding. Spermatozoa from nine teratozoospermic pa tients (10.2 +/- 6% normal forms) were included in the study. Test sam ples were diluted with a 4 mM solution of pentoxifylline, and control samples with Ham's F-10 culture medium only. Zona pellucida binding po tential was measured under hemizona assay conditions (HZA). Sperm moti lity was evaluated at the start (0 h post-swim-up) and end (4 h) of th e HZA, under test-tube conditions and under HZA conditions (50 mu l dr oplet under oil). Motility parameters tested included the curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL) and linearity (LIN). Comp ared to the controls, pentoxifylline-treated samples showed an immedia te stimulation of sperm motility, under test-tube conditions, with a s ignificant elevation of VCL at 0 h incubation (102.77 +/- 14.4 versus control value 84.60 +/- 10.6 mu m/s; P = 0.005), which however was rev ersed after 4 h incubation (73.16 +/- 4.6 versus control value 85.47 /- 12.8 mu m/s; P < 0.005). A decline in sperm motility from 0 to 4 h incubation was noted for all the pentoxifylline-treated samples, under both test tube conditions (VCL: 102.77 +/- 14.4 versus 73.16 +/- 4.6 mu m/s, P < 0.005; VSL: 27.2 +/- 10 versus 10.66 +/- 2.2 mu m/s, P < 0 .005; LIN: 23.65 +/- 7.1 versus 11.86 +/- 1.8%, P < 0.005) and HZA con ditions (VCL: 100.04 +/- 13.1 versus 76.00 +/- 7 mu m/s, P < 0.005; VS L: 26.40 +/- 8.7 versus 9.14 +/- 4.5 mu m/s, P < 0.005; LIN: 26.2 +/- 12 versus 11.05 +/- 4.3%, P < 0.005). Pentoxifylline also showed no ef fect on the zona binding capacity of the sperm population, since no si gnificant difference in zona binding capacity was seen between control and test samples. In conclusion, the effect of pentoxifylline on tera tozoospermic spermatozoa is short-lived, and despite its stimulatory p otential pentoxifylline shows no beneficial use in enhancing zona pell ucida binding of teratozoospermic spermatozoa.