RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEMEN CHARACTERISTICS, ALPHA-GLUCOSIDASE AND THECAPACITY OF SPERMATOZOA TO BIND TO THE HUMAN ZONA-PELLUCIDA

Unfertilized oocytes from an in-vitro fertilization programme were sto red in different saline solutions and then utilized in a zona binding assay (ZBA). The four saline solutions tested were identical with rega rd to the capacity of the zona to bind spermatozoa provided by healthy donors. Spermatozoa from 150 infertile patients were tested in the ZB A. The number of spermatozoa bound to the zona correlated positively w ith sperm concentration, the percentage sperm motility and the percent age of morphologically normal spermatozoa. The population was then div ided into two groups according to the level of alpha-glucosidase activ ity, an epididymal marker. The average number of spermatozoa bound to the zona was diminished in the group with low alpha-glucosidase activi ty, even when considering strictly equivalent classes of sperm concent ration, motility and morphology, respectively.