Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Levay, P.F.
Right arrow Articles by Meintjes, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Levay, P.F.
Right arrow Articles by Meintjes, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Human Reproduction, Vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 2590-2594, 1995
© 1995 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

research-article

The effect of seminal plasma on human sperm-zona pellucida binding

P.F. Levay, F.le R.Fourie1 and J. Meintjes

Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Centre for Fertility Studies,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Pretoria, 0002,South Africa

Correspondence: 1To whom correspondence should be addressed

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different concentrations of seminal plasma (SP) in insemination medium on human sperm-zona pellucida (ZP) binding.The effects of fresh SP [50%(n = 10) and 1% (n = 9)],frozen-thawed versus fresh SP [5% (n = 10)] and frozenthawed SP [5% (n = 10) and 1% (n = 9)] on sperm-ZP binding were examined using hemizona assays. The validity of the hemizona assay as performed in this study was also examined. Relative sperm binding percentages were determined for respective hemizonae, and the hemizona index was calculated for each experimental group and compared statistically. The 50% native SP inhibited sperm-ZP binding by -70% (P = 0.0051), while 1% native SP enhanced sperm-ZP binding by –350% (P =0.0051). Significantly more spermatozoa (mean ± SD,172.00 ± 54.12) bound to zonae in the presence of 5%frozen-thawed SP than with 5% SP that had not been frozen (mean ±SD, 127.00 ± 69.18; P = 0.0431). The 1 and 5% frozen-thawed SP stimulated sperm-ZP binding by -400 and -250% respectively (P = 0.0077 and 0.0051 respectively). It is concluded that SP concentrations found in insemination media during assisted reproductive techniques do not inhibit but in fact enhance sperm-ZP binding.

Key words: hemizona assay/seminal plasma/spermatozoa/zona/pellucida


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.