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
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.