title: Influence of the concentration of motile sperm inseminated on the ovum penetration assay results: toward a standardized method.
abstract: The influence of the concentration of motile sperm inseminated on the zona-free hamster egg penetration rate has been studied. In 3 fertile men, the higher the concentration of motile sperm inseminated, the higher the ovum penetration rate. This correlation emphasizes the usefulness of standardizing the technical conditions under which the ovum penetration assay is performed. It is also suggested to refer to a standard curve for results analysis. In the 22 patients studied, the outcome of the heterologous ovum assay was in most cases related to the initial sperm parameters. However, some disagreement was also observed. In the absence of a correlation between the initial sperm parameters and the ovum penetration rates, further investigation is needed in order to either more precisely determine the aetiology of unexplained couple infertility, or, in case of intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization, to better understand the conditions under which spermatozoa are capacitated in vitro.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions