Human Reproduction, Vol. 14, No. 8, 2069-2074,
August 1999
© 1999 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists inhibit sperm binding to the human zona pellucida
1 Unit of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 2 Faculty of Biological Sciences, P. Catholic University of Chile, PO Box 114-D,Santiago, and 3 Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, PO Box 70061, Santiago, Chile
Previous work from our laboratory indicated that gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) increases human sperm–zona pellucida binding. Here we present evidence that GnRH antagonists inhibit sperm–zona pellucida binding in humans. Motile spermatozoa (107 cells/ml) were incubated in modified Tyrode's medium at 37°C, in 5% CO2 in air. After 4.5 h, aliquots of spermatozoa were treated with saline (control) or with different concentrations of GnRH antagonists (test). Each sperm aliquot was then tested in the hemizona binding assay. In this assay, the control aliquot was incubated with half a human zona pellucida (hemizona) and the test aliquot was incubated with the matching half. After 20 min, the hemizonae were withdrawn and the number of zona-bound spermatozoa counted using phase-contrast microscopy. In addition, the effect of GnRH antagonists upon the pattern of sperm movement, frequency of sperm–zona pellucida collisions, and percentage of living and acrosome-reacted spermatozoa was determined. The results indicated that treatment with GnRH antagonists decreased the number of zona-bound spermatozoa and did not change the pattern of sperm movement, frequency of sperm–zona collisions, and percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. We suggest that this action of GnRH antagonists may be due to an effect on zona receptors on the sperm plasma membrane.
Key words: GnRH antagonists/human zona pellucida/sperm–zona collisions/sperm–zona binding
4 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Unit of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Antofagasta, PO Box 170, Antofagasta, Chile
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Sengupta, T. Baker, N. Chakrabarti, J. A. Whittaker, and R. Sridaran Localization of Immunoreactive Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone and Relative Expression of Its mRNA in the Oviduct During Pregnancy in Rats J. Histochem. Cytochem., May 1, 2007; 55(5): 525 - 534. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Morales, M. Kong, E. Pizarro, and C. Pasten Participation of the sperm proteasome in human fertilization Hum. Reprod., May 1, 2003; 18(5): 1010 - 1017. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Morales, C. Pasten, and E. Pizarro Inhibition of In Vivo and In Vitro Fertilization in Rodents by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonists Biol Reprod, October 1, 2002; 67(4): 1360 - 1365. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Morales, E. Pizarro, M. Kong, B. Kerr, F. Ceric, and P. Vigil Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Stimulated Sperm Binding to the Human Zona Is Mediated by a Calcium Influx Biol Reprod, August 1, 2000; 63(2): 635 - 642. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Bull, P. Morales, C. Huyser, T. Socias, and E.A. Castellon Expression of GnRH receptor in mouse and rat testicular germ cells Mol. Hum. Reprod., July 1, 2000; 6(7): 582 - 586. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. R. Hernandez Embryo implantation and GnRH antagonists: Embryo implantation: the Rubicon for GnRH antagonists Hum. Reprod., June 1, 2000; 15(6): 1211 - 1216. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. M. Casañ, F. Raga, F. Bonilla-Musoles, and M. L. Polan Human Oviductal Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone: Possible Implications in Fertilization, Early Embryonic Development, and Implantation J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2000; 85(4): 1377 - 1381. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|