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Query: UMLS:C0393754 (HSA)
 2,996 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recently it has been observed that ejaculated human sperm possess high angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity and that this enzyme is released during the process of capacitation. This observation raises the possibility that ACE may be involved in the fertilization process. To verify this hypothesis, we tested the effects of a potent ACE inhibitor, Captopril, on acrosome reaction induced by capacitating medium (3.5% HSA-added BWW) and on ability of human capacitated spermatozoa to penetrate zona-free hamster oocytes. Addition of Captopril (100 nmol l-1) modified neither sperm motility nor viability at any time considered, but significantly reduced the acrosome reaction percentages of sperm incubated in capacitating medium. Furthermore, Captopril significantly reduced the percentage of penetrated oocytes. The mean penetration rates both in the absence and presence of Captopril were 65.5 +/- 4.9% and 26.9 +/- 2.3% (P less than 0.001) respectively. These findings provide evidence that sperm release of ACE during capacitation may have a physiological role in the regulation of the mechanisms that allow sperm acrosome reaction and thus fertilizability.
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PMID:Evidence for the involvement of sperm angiotensin converting enzyme in fertilization. 166 81

Cytogenetic studies were made on 328 spermatozoa from three individuals using either fresh semen samples capacitated in Biggers, Whitten and Whittingham (BWW) medium plus human serum albumin (BWW + HSA) or semen samples preserved at 4 degrees C in TEST-Yolk buffer. A total of 261 sperm karyotypes were obtained in a series of experiments in which half of each sample was capacitated in BWW + HSA and the other half in TEST-Yolk buffer at 4 degrees C for 2 days; 123 and 138 sperm karyotypes were obtained from the two capacitation methods respectively. Neither the frequency of sperm chromosomal abnormalities nor the sex ratio was significantly different after each capacitation methods. In one individual, however, the sex ratio (19X:32Y in the fresh sample and 49X:28Y in the preserved sample) did show a significant difference. In three experiments with semen samples from a single individual capacitated at 4 degrees C for 1, 2 or 3 days in TEST-Yolk buffer we obtained 33, 30 and 34 sperm karyotypes respectively. No significant differences in the sex ratio was exhibited between these experiments; the number of chromosome anomalies was too low to allow statistical analysis. Our results suggest that TEST-Yolk capacitation for 1, 2 or 3 days does not induce significant variations in the frequency and type of chromosomal abnormalities in human spermatozoa.
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PMID:Chromosome abnormalities in human spermatozoa after albumin or TEST-Yolk capacitation. 195 44

Rhodamine 123 fluorescent labeling of the human spermatozoal midpiece was used as a means of monitoring spermatozoal viability. This simple procedure was used in three separate studies to establish differential spermatozoal survival. Twenty ejaculates of reasonable quality were taken from men attending the Cromwell Hospital IVF Clinic. These were split three ways: cultured fresh at 37 degrees C as for IVF, or frozen/thawed and then cultured at 37 degrees C after freezing in either an egg yolk-free glycerol cryoprotectant or an egg yolk citrate medium. An expected overall difference in viability between fresh and frozen/thawed spermatozoa was observed, with no significant difference between the cryoprotective abilities of the two cryoprotectants studied. Four ejaculates were either frozen/thawed in the egg yolk-free cryoprotectant or cultured fresh, and both were subsequently stored at room temperature. Fall-off in frozen/thawed spermatozoal viability was more rapid than for the fresh cultured spermatozoa, although all spermatozoa survived longer at room temperature than at 37 degrees C. Five ejaculates were split to culture their spermatozoa at 37 degrees C in media containing either human or bovine serum albumin, or human fetal cord serum. BSA proved to be the least successful of protein supplements in maintaining spermatozoal viability, with HSA and cord serum giving rise to comparable viability of spermatozoa cultured in each. RH 123 is recommended as an alternative means of assessing human spermatozoal viability, and the results arising from the use of this technique here are discussed with their particular relevance to semen freezing and preparation in IVF centers.
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PMID:Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa: an assessment of methodology using rhodamine 123. 360 71

We have developed an improved method for analyzing human sperm chromosome, using zona-free hamster ova. Our main improvements of methodology are as follows: (1) Fertilization rate of hamster oocytes by human spermatozoa was markedly raised by successive treatments of the spermatozoa with 5-15 microM ionophore A23187 solutions and a capacitation medium (BWW medium) containing 3.5% HSA. The HSA most effective in inducing capacitation was selected from several kinds of HSA products commercially available. (2) Monospermic fertilization was ensured by inseminating oocytes with highly capacitated spermatozoa at a low concentration for a short time. (3) TC medium 199 was used for postinsemination culture of the eggs. (4) A medium containing podophyllotoxin and vinblastine (0.04 micrograms/ml each) was used to block karyogamy and first-cleavage spindle formation. (5) Chromosome slides were prepared with our gradual fixation-air-dry method instead of Tarkowski's method. Ninety-two to 177 spermatozoa corresponding in number to 43%-79% (mean: 62%) of the inseminated oocytes were successfully karyotyped in each experiment. In spite of above-mentioned quantitative improvements, quality of Q-banding was not necessarily satisfactory in our slides. Improvement of banding technique is an important problem to be solved in our method. Spontaneous incidence of chromosome aberrations was studied in a total of 1,091 spermatozoa obtained from nine semen samples from four donors. Incidences of aneuploidy and structural anomaly were 0.9% (hyperhaploidy, 0.45%; hypohaploidy, 0.45%) and 13.0%, respectively. Structural aberrations included breaks (45.1%), fragments (32.4%), exchanges (21.8%), and deletions (0.7%). Ratio of X-sperm to Y-sperm was 53% to 47%. These results were discussed in comparison with those reported previously.
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PMID:An improved, efficient method for analyzing human sperm chromosomes using zona-free hamster ova. 371 61

A possible change in the nuclear stability of the human spermatozoa further than ejaculation was investigated. A nuclear chromatin decondensation ability test using 1% SDS + 6 mM EDTA was used on spermatozoa migrated for 1 h in a swim-up migration (in BWW + human serum albumin 0.8%) and capacitated for 5 h in the same medium. The results, analyzed as paired series, showed that (1) capacitated and migrated spermatozoa have a greater nuclear stability than that of the control population (total sperm), (2) there was no significant difference of the nuclear stability between migrated and capacitated spermatozoa, and (3) there was no effect of the media used (BWW + HSA) on the nuclear stability. Thus, it seemed that migrating spermatozoa definitely selects a specific resistant population to decondensing reagents.
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PMID:Effect of migration and capacitation on the nuclear stability of human sperm. 653 42

An 80-kDa human sperm antigen (80-kDa HSA) has been identified as a sperm protein responsible for inducing immunoinfertility. Immunization with the purified protein induced infertility in male and female rats. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent studies have demonstrated that the antigen is specific to spermatozoa. The present study describes the partial amino acid sequencing of 80-kDa HSA. The homogeneous protein was electrophoretically transferred onto a PVDF membrane and the excised band of 80-kDa HSA was used to determine the partial N-terminal amino acid sequence. The protein was then subjected to enzymatic digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C and endoproteinase Glu-C. The partial amino acid sequence of the major peptides thus obtained was determined. The digestion with endoproteinase Lys-C generated 4 major peptides, two of which showed partial sequence homology with lactoferrin. Endoproteinase Glu-C digestion produced 3 major peptides. The sequences of the 2 peptides were determined for which no matches were found in the databank. These results confirmed earlier observations that 80-kDa HSA is a sperm-specific protein that is chemically distinct from any other protein involved in normal physiological process. Earlier studies have demonstrated that it is antigenic, efficacious, conserved, and could be a promising candidate for the development of an antifertility vaccine.
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PMID:Partial amino acid sequencing of 80-kDa human sperm antigen (80-kDa HSA). 1169 47