Effect of L-carnitine on motility and acrosome reaction of human spermatozoa.
L-carnitine added to the suspension medium decreases the glucose-sustained progressive motility of human spermatozoa. Addition of 20 mM L-carnitine to the capacitation medium causes an inhibition of the occurrence of the acrosome reaction parallel to a viability enhancement and negligible changes of the cellular content of ATP. The cellular efflux of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase was also inhibited by L-carnitine. A possible role of L-carnitine on membrane stability and metabolism of spermatozoa is briefly discussed.
Deana
R
R
Department of Biological Chemistry, C.N.R., Padova, Italy.
Indino
M
M
Rigoni
F
F
Foresta
C
C
D000177:Acrosome / Q000187:drug effects*; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000032:analysis; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D002331:Carnitine