Separation of sub-populations of sperm with higher fertility potential from normal and pathological semen by peanut agglutinin.
Incubation of human sperm from semen with counts below 20 x 10(6)/ml with peanut agglutinin (PNA) resulted in agglutination of about 70% of sperm. An inverse correlation was found between non-agglutinating (PNA) sperm and sperm density (r = 0.48, p less than 0.01) and a direct correlation with acrosome-damaged sperm (r = 0.83, p less than 0.001). Binding of 125I-PNA to sperm revealed high, and possibly also low affinity binding sites on sperm from both normozoospermic and oligozoospermic origins. Quantitative transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that agglutinated, PNA+, sperm had lower frequency of acrosomeless spermatozoa than PNA(-)-sperm (44% versus 77%) and higher fertility score (+0.18 +/- 0.1 and -1.5 +/- 0.87 respectively, p less than 0.01). Removal of PNA- sperm from oligozoospermic semen may increase the fertility score of the remaining sperm.
Ravid
A
A
Rogoff Medical Research Institute, Beilinson Medical Center, Petah-Tikva, Israel.
Sagiv
M
M
Bartoov
B
B
Eltes
F
F
Novogrodsky
A
A
Allalouf
D
D
Levinsky
H
H
Singer
R
R
D002469:Cell Separation; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000473:pathology*; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*
D037102:Lectins; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin