Properties of a highly purified antifertility factor from human seminal plasma.
A high molecular weight antifertility factor (AF-1) was obtained in a high degree of purity from human seminal plasma by ultracentrifugation, CM-cellulose and concanavalin A chromatography, and Sepharose 6B gel filtration. A final purification step involving preparative disc electrophoresis was occasionally required. AF-1 showed a dose-dependent inhibition of the in vitro fertilizing ability of capacitated mouse spermatozoa, causing 50% inhibition of fertilization at approximately 27.5 micrograms/10(6) spermatozoa. Removal of the follicle cell layer of the oocyte did not decrease the antifertility effect of AF-1 but inhibition of fertilization was no longer observed after dispersal of the zona pellucida. The effect of AF-1 was on the spermatozoa and not on the oocytes. These results show that AF-1 treatment prevents capacitated spermatozoa from penetrating the zona pellucida and possibly the follicle cell layer. The mechanism by which AF-1 does so is not known because AF-1 did not prevent the in vitro acrosome reaction of guinea pig spermatozoa, nor did it inhibit the activity of human acrosin or bovine testicular hyaluronidase. The antifertility activity of AF-1 is reversed after recapacitation of the AF-1 treated spermatozoa and it can be assumed that AF-1 is either dissipated or loses activity during the transport of the spermatozoa through the female genital tract when capacitation takes place. AF-1 is heat labile. The properties of AF-1 are the same as those found previously for the pellet obtained by high-speed centrifugation of human seminal plasma, indicating that this is the primary, nonparticulate, high molecular weight factor with antifertility activity in human semen.
D000176:Acrosin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000177:Acrosome / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000187:drug effects; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012661:Semen / Q000032:analysis*; D013075:Sperm Capacitation; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects
D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D000176:Acrosin