A PROSPECTIVE CLINICAL-TRIAL INVESTIGATING THE EFFICACY OF A METHOD OF PREPARING SUBPOPULATIONS OF ANTIBODY-FREE SPERMATOZOA FROM THE EJACULATES OF ANTIBODY-POSITIVE PATIENTS

Couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF) were invited to take part in a controlled prospective clinical trial. The aim was to determine the effect on the fertilization rate of a technique devis ed to obtain an antibody-free preparation of spermatozoa from an antib ody-positive ejaculate. Oocytes collected during IVF were allocated in to one of two groups, ensuring that quality and maturity were comparab le in each. One group, the control, was inseminated with Percoll-proce ssed spermatozoa. The experimental group was inseminated with identica l numbers of Percoll-processed spermatozoa which had been treated to o btain an antibody-free preparation. The treatment was found to have no beneficial effect on the fertilization rate at IVF. Laboratory studie s were also performed on the ejaculates of antibody-positive volunteer s to determine whether this treatment led to any effects, whether bene ficial or detrimental, on sperm function. Membrane integrity was found to be unaffected, as was the percentage of spermatozoa undergoing the spontaneous acrosome reaction following overnight incubation. The per centage of spermatozoa undergoing the ionophore-induced acrosome react ion following treatment, however, was higher than that of the controls . The results of sperm-zona pellucida binding studies were equivocal. The findings indicated that the treatment procedure could not be justi fied for use in IVF, but may be beneficial for intrauterine inseminati on.