chlortetracycline and Infertility--Male

Conventional semen analysis offers basic information on infertility; however, its clinical value in predicting fertility status is unclear. To establish an accurate diagnosis of male fertility, semen analysis under capacitation condition is necessary because only capacitated spermatozoa are capable of fertilizing oocytes. The objective of this study was to verify male fertility based on conventional semen analysis before and after capacitation, including the assessment of motility (%), motion kinematics, and capacitation status of spermatozoa. A computer-assisted sperm analysis system and chlortetracycline staining were applied to evaluate the motility parameters and capacitation status, respectively. To enable efficacy of the two methods for predicting fertility, correlation analysis was performed with the historic litter size. Our results showed that sperm motility (%), motion kinematics, and their variations before and after capacitation represented a statistical non-significant correlation with litter size. Litter size showed significant correlation with acrosome reaction (AR) after capacitation (r = 0.375), as well as differences (Δ) in AR (r = 0.333) and capacitated (B) pattern (r = -0.447) before and after capacitation. The overall accuracy of the assay for predicting litter sizes using the AR and differences (Δ) in the AR and B pattern was 70%. On the basis of these results, we propose that capacitation status of spermatozoa is a more reliable indicator for evaluating male fertility status compared to motility parameters. Therefore, we suggest that analysis of capacitation status in company with conventional semen analysis may accept to evaluate more accurate diagnosis or prognosis of male fertility.

Topics: Acrosome Reaction; Animals; Bisbenzimidazole; Chlortetracycline; Female; Fertility; Infertility, Male; Insemination, Artificial; Litter Size; Male; Semen Analysis; Sperm Capacitation; Sperm Motility; Spermatozoa; Staining and Labeling; Sus scrofa

Sperm preparation and acrosomic reaction have been largely studied to explain the physiology of sperm as reproductive cell.. To identify the morphological changes on in vitro prepared human sperm cells and in spontaneous and ionophore A23187 induced acrosome reaction of infertile males, through the application of the chlortetracycline test.. Experimental prospective study.. Sperm samples of 17 subfertile males were processed as routine for a sperm analysis, we carried out sperm preparation and induction of the acrosomic reaction by means of calcium ions A23187. The prepared sperm with direct swim-up was assessed at one hour and at four hours. Direct aliquots were taken and processed for the test with CTC, we considered as positive result obtaining more than 15% increase in the induced AR versus spontaneous.. The whole population was classified as asthenozoospermic. Eight training morphological patterns were identified and we found four types of responses for the induced AR: Type I had an increase at one and at four hours incubation (47%); type II had an increase only after 1 hour incubation (23.5%); type III had an increase only at 4 hours incubation (17.7%), and type IV did not have increase (11.8%).. These results suggest that in astenozoospermic patients the training process has variations during the incubation time, demonstrated by the response at A23187. These findings could let us to select better spermatozoa in this group of males at the moment when capacitance is actually attained, thus being able to carry out more effective techniques in assisted reproduction.

Topics: Acrosome Reaction; Calcimycin; Chlortetracycline; Humans; Infertility, Male; Ionophores; Male; Spermatozoa

Sperm obtained from groups of men with various semen profiles were incubated for 8 h in BWW medium containing human serum albumin to promote capacitation. Capacitation and the acrosome reaction were monitored by a chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence assay. Four distinct CTC patterns were observed on the sperm head. No significant difference was observed in the time-course curve of these CTC patterns in sperm obtained from normozoospermic, asthenozoospermic and oligozoospermic men. Spontaneous and A23187-induced acrosome reactions were also comparable in these groups. However, in sperm obtained from teratozoospermic and polyzoospermic men, the increase in CTC pattern associated with capacitation appeared slower and sluggish. In these two groups, the induced acrosome reaction was also significantly lower when compared to that in the other three groups of men. In polyzoospermia, the spontaneous acrosome reaction was significantly lower when compared to all the other groups. Fresh sperm would not undergo the acrosome reaction following A23187 treatment. The results of this study indicate sluggish (defective) capacitation and inability of capacitated sperm to undergo induced acrosome reaction in teratozoospermic and polyzoospermic men as evaluated by the CTC method.

Topics: Acrosome; Calcimycin; Chlortetracycline; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Infertility, Male; Male; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Semen; Sperm Capacitation