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Monoclonal antibodies against sperm intra-acrosomal antigens as markers for male infertility diagnostics and estimation of spermatogenesis.

Peknicova J, Chladek D, Hozak P

Department of Biology and Biochemistry of Fertilization, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic. jpeknic@biomed.cas.cz

PROBLEM: To determine the ability of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) against acrosomal antigens to detect physiology and pathology of human spermatozoa and to detect spermatids in ejaculates of infertile male with azoospermia. METHOD OF STUDY: Sperm antigens detected with prepared MoAbs were partially characterized by biochemical and immunocytochemical methods. The acrosomal status of spermatozoa was compared in men with normal and pathological spermiograms and in sperm before and after induced acrosome reaction (AR). Ejaculates from patients were tested for the presence of spermatids. RESULTS: MoAbs specifically bind to intra-acrosomal sperm antigens with quantitative difference between ejaculates with normal and pathological spermiograms. These antigens are released from the acrosome after induced AR. MoAbs labeled acrosomal proteins in round and elongated spermatids in the ejaculates of patients with azoospermia. CONCLUSION: MoAbs against intra-acrosomal sperm antigens are useful for human sperm diagnosis and prediction of spermatogenesis. The spermatids can be utilized in assisted reproduction.

Published 25 January 2005 in Am J Reprod Immunol, 53(1): 42-9.
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