Human Reproduction, Vol. 14, No. 10, 2426-2429,
October 1999
© 1999 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Debate continued |
Antisperm antibodies: Do antisperm antibodies bound to spermatozoa alter normal reproductive function?
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee, 956 Court Avenue, Room D324, Memphis, Tennessee 38163–2116 USA
Extensive investigations have been conducted to evaluate the potential role of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in infertile men and women. It was originally demonstrated in 1932 that injection of spermatozoa into the peritoneal cavity of female guinea pigs could induce temporary sterilization (Baskin, 1932
). In the male and female, ASA may be found systemically (in the blood and lymph) and in local secretions (in seminal or cervico–vaginal fluids) (Kutteh et al., 1995). Antibodies in the blood and lymph belong predominantly to the immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotype, while those found in external secretions are predominantly of the IgA isotype (Marshburn and Kutteh, 1994; Mazumdar and Levine, 1998). Many questions still remain on the role of ASA in reproduction (Table I). Indeed a recent survey of the diagnosis and
Proposed therapies for sperm-bound ASA
Possible sites where sperm-bound ASA interfere with IVF
Summary and suggestions
Notes
References
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