OBJECTIVESTo investigate the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the sperm acrosin activity in normal men and positive antisperm antibody (AsAb) men.

METHODSSperm acrosin activity was detected by BAEE/ADH method.

RESULTSGABA could increase the sperm acrosin activity in normal and AsAb positive patients (P < 0.01). The results also indicated that GABA significantly increased Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity (P < 0.01), Ca(2+)-ATPase activity (P < 0.05) and SOD activity (P < 0.01) of sperm.

CONCLUSIONSThe results demonstrated that GABA could influence the sperm acrosin activity.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; immunology ; metabolism ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVESTo study the inhibitory effect of KF-950 on human acrosin and sperm acrosome.

METHODSHuman acrosin was extracted and purified with 2% acetic acid, and its residual activity was evaluated by BAEE/ADH assay after treated with different concentrations of KF-950. ABC assay was used to observe the effect of KF-950 on human acrosome with Biotin-PSA as a probe.

RESULTS1. The activity of normal sperm acrosin was (37.65 +/- 4.47) U/L. 2. The residual activity was inversely related to the concentration of KF-950 (r = -0.998), and had a dose-response curve. The result could be described by Y = 7.57-1.895X. 3. With increase of KF-950 concentration and prolongation of action time, the staining rate of acrosome obviously dropped (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSKF-950 directly inhibits acrosin activity and assumely injures sperm acrosome. It might be a new kind of highly effective inhibitor.

Acrosin ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Acrosome ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Percoll selection technique on normal morphology and acrosin activity of human spermatoza.

METHODSThe sperm morphology and sperm acrosin activity were analyzed by automated sperm morphology analyzer(ASMA) and spectrocolorimetry.

RESULTSThe normal morphology sperm rate and acrosin activity were significantly increased after Percoll selection technique (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONPercoll selection technique could affect normal morphology sperm ratio and acrosin activity.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Adult ; Centrifugation, Density Gradient ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; enzymology

Acrosin ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Protein Binding ; Spermatozoa ; metabolism ; Zona Pellucida ; metabolism

OBJECTIVESTo study the effect of antisperm antibody(AsAb) on human sperm acrosin activity.

METHODSAsAb and sperm acrosin activity were measured and analyzed in 3,432 infertile men and 65 fertile volunteers.

RESULTSAsAb positive rate was 10.20% in 3,432 case of male infertility, and 9.37% in 2,882 infertile males who received tests of sperm acrosin activity. Acrosin activity of infertility cases were lower than those of fertile cases(P < 0.001). The comparison between AsAb positive group and AsAb negative group infertility cases showed no significant differences of acrosin activity (P > 0.05). Between normal acrosin activity group and abnormal acrosin activity group, there was no significant difference of AsAb positive rate (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAntisperm antibody could not affect acrosin activity.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Adult ; Autoantibodies ; analysis ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; immunology ; Male ; Semen ; chemistry ; Spermatozoa ; enzymology ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the inhibitory effect of Nandeshi, an acrosin inhibitor, on human acrosin activity.

METHODSWe collected sperm samples from 10 healthy fertile men and cultured them with Nandeshi at 30 degrees C for 5 minutes at the concentrations of 0. 100, 0.120, 0.144, 0.173, 0.207, 0.249, 0.299, 0.358 and 0.430 mmol/L, with the controls treated with a well-known acrosin inhibitor N-alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethylketone (TLCK) at 150.0, 189.8, 213.6, 240.3, 270.3, 304.1 and 342.1 mmol/L. Then we determined the residual activity of human acrosin by improved Kennedy assay.

RESULTSThe residual activity of acrosin was negatively correlated with the Nandeshi concentration, and Nandeshi exhibited an inhibition rate about 800 times that of TLCK.

CONCLUSIONNandeshi has a powerful inhibitory effect on human acrosin, and improved Kennedy assay is a simple, practical and highly sensitive technique for the detection of human acrosin activity.

Acrosin ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Contraceptive Agents, Female ; pharmacology ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; Tosyllysine Chloromethyl Ketone ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of sperm acrosin activity on the IVF-ET outcome.

METHODSWe analyzed sperm parameters, morphology and acrosin activity for 909 infertile husbands by computer-assisted self-assessment (CASA), modified Papanicolaou staining and N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA), respectively, and detected the rates of fertilization, cleavage, quality embryos, embryo cryopreservation, implantation, clinical pregnancy and abortion. The wives were identified as normal or with mere oviduct problems.

RESULTSThe rate of normal sperm morphology and sperm motility, vitality, rapid progressive velocity and concentration were significantly lower in the abnormal acrosin activity group than in the normal one (P < 0.01). Significant positive correlations were observed between acrosin activity and the above-mentioned semen parameters (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the number of retrieved eggs, the rates of cleavage, quality embryos, embryo cryopreservation, non-embryo transfer cycles and miscarriages, and the number of transferred embryos between the two groups (P > 0.05). The fertilization rate, the percentage of transfer cycles with only 1 embryo and the rate of implantation and clinical pregnancy were notably higher in the normal acrosin activity group than in the abnormal one (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSperm acrosin activity is closely related with semen parameters, and it helps to predict the sperm fertilizing capacity and IVF-ET outcome.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Adult ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Semen Analysis ; Spermatozoa ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the activity of human sperm acrosin and semen parameters in male infertile patients and discuss the effect of sperm acrosin activity on semen quality.

METHODSActivity of human sperm acrosin, PMN-elastase, fructose, alpha-glucosidase, zinc, acid phosphatase levels and HOST of 214 male infertile patients were detected. Semen analysis was performed using WLJY-9000 WeiLi colorful semen quality analyzer. There were 111 cases of normal activity of human sperm acrosin (48.2 - 218.7 microIU/10(6) sperm), 103 cases abnormal (< 48.2 microIU/10(6) sperm). Using the group of normal activity of sperm acrosin to be the control, semen parameters was analyzed and compared with those of the group of abnormal activity of sperm acrosin.

RESULTSThere were significant difference (P < 0.001) between the 2 groups (normal and abnormal) in the areas of sperm density, motile sperm rate, percentage of grade (a + b) sperm and HOST. There were also significant difference in PMN-elastase, fructose and alpha-glucosidase (P < 0.05). There was no difference among sperm volume, zinc and acid phosphatase (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere was a strong correlation between the activity of human sperm sperm acrosin and semen quality. Activity of sperm acrosin is a reliable index of semen quality.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Adult ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; enzymology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Semen ; chemistry ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the progressive motility, (PR), total motility (progressive + non-progressive motility, PR + NP), and acrosin activity of sperm from normal and infertile men at different time points after sperm activation.

METHODSBased on the 5th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen and the results of modified Papanicolaou staining, we divided the semen samples into groups A (normal, n = 28), B (oligoasthenoteratospermia, n = 30), and C (asthenoteratospermia, n = 32). At 1, 24, and 48 hours after sperm activation, we detected sperm PR and PR + NP by CASA and chemical colorimetry, and determined sperm acrosin activity using the modified Kennedy method.

RESULTSSperm PR and PR + NP were significantly decreased in all the three groups at 1-24 hours and even more significantly at 24-48 hours after sperm activation as compared with the baseline (P < 0.05). Sperm acrosin activity showed remarkable reduction in group A (P = 0. 013) , even more significant at 1-24 hours than at 24-48 hours after sperm activation, but not in groups B and C (P = 0.519 and 0.979).

CONCLUSIONSperm PR, PR + NP, and acrosin activity are all decreased with the extension of time after sperm activation, each in a specific manner. Examination of sperm acrosin activity should be applied as a routine tool in the assessment of male fertility.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Asthenozoospermia ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Male ; Semen ; Sperm Motility ; physiology ; Spermatozoa ; metabolism ; physiology ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the impacts of positive antisperm antibody (AsAb) in seminal plasma on acrosomal enzyme activity, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels of spermatozoa.

METHODSSwatch from 40 infertile patients with positive AsAb in seminal plasma as experimental group, and 40 fertile men as control group. Acrosomal enzyme activity was detected by the BAEE/ADH unitive method, NOS was detected by the redoxreaction assay, and SOD level was measured xanthine oxidase method.

RESULTSCompared with control group, acrosomal enzyme activity of spermatozoa of experimental group was significantly decreased (P <0.01), NOS activity was apparently increased (P < 0.01), and SOD level in seminal plasma was markedly decreased (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONIt may be possible that the positive AsAb in seminal plasma beget infertility through the changes of acrosomal enzyme of spermatozoa, SOD and NOS activities in seminal plasma.

Acrosin ; metabolism ; Adult ; Autoantibodies ; analysis ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; enzymology ; immunology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Semen ; enzymology ; Spermatozoa ; enzymology ; immunology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism