EFFECTS OF ANTIBODIES TO TRANSFERRIN AND ALPHA-2-HS GLYCOPROTEIN ON IN-VITRO SPERM MOTION - IMPLICATIONS IN INFERTILITY ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS

Citation
S. Pillai et al., EFFECTS OF ANTIBODIES TO TRANSFERRIN AND ALPHA-2-HS GLYCOPROTEIN ON IN-VITRO SPERM MOTION - IMPLICATIONS IN INFERTILITY ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, 39(4), 1998, pp. 235-242
Citations number
36
Categorie Soggetti
Reproductive Biology",Immunology
ISSN journal
10467408
Volume
39
Issue
4
Year of publication
1998
Pages
235 - 242
Database
ISI
SICI code
1046-7408(1998)39:4<235:EOATTA>2.0.ZU;2-6
Abstract
PROBLEM: Women with endometriosis have antibodies to endometrial trans ferrin and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein in their serum and peritoneal fluid . The objective of this study was to determine whether antibodies to t ransferrin and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein adversely affect sperm motility and survival. METHOD OF STUDY: Spermatozoa obtained from normal ferti le donors and washed free of seminal plasma were incubated with the me dium (control), 1:2 and 1:100 dilutions of antitransferrin, 1:4, 1:8 a nd 1:100 dilutions of anti-alpha 2-HS glycoprotein, and a 1:2 dilution of antialbumin antiserum (negative control). Sperm motion characteris tics in 10 mu l aliquots were evaluated at 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr, a nd 24 hr using computerized sperm motion analysis. A paired t-test was done to analyze the effects of the various antibodies on sperm motion characteristics. RESULTS: Antibodies to albumin failed to adversely a ffect sperm motility in general or the several sperm motion characteri stics in particular. In contrast, antibodies to transferrin at the dil ution of 1:2 adversely affected the percentage of motile and rapid spe rmatozoa, progressive and path velocities, straightness, linearity, tr ack speed, and anterior-lateral head displacement (P < 0.001) at all t he time intervals, whereas a 1:100 dilution of this antiserum adversel y affected these parameters only at 24 hr. Elongation and beat cross-f requency were significantly affected at 4 and 24 hr by a 1:2 dilution of antitransferrin antiserum. The effects of anti-alpha 2-HS glycoprot ein were more pronounced than those of antitransferrin, but they were similar. Dilutions of 1:4 and 1:8 were effective at all time intervals , whereas a 1:100 dilution was effective in reducing the track speed a nd the percentage of rapid cells at 24 hr (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Ant ibodies to endometrial transferrin and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein present in the peritoneal fluid, and possibly in the oviductal fluid, of pati ents with endometriosis may adversely affect postcoital sperm motility and sperm survival.