title: In vitro kallikrein treatment of human spermatozoa: stimulation of sperm penetration into zona-free hamster eggs depends on the quality of initial semen parameters but not on constituents of the kallikrein-kinin system in seminal plasma.
abstract: We investigated the effect of an in vitro kallikrein treatment of human spermatozoa on their ability to penetrate zona-free hamster eggs. Sixty-four infertility patients were classified into four groups (normo-, oligo-, astheno-, and oligoasthenozoospermia) in order to find out which men would benefit most from this procedure. An aliquot of each ejaculate was diluted with Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with human serum albumin and kept at 22C for 1 hour. Another aliquot was incubated with kallikrein (5 KU/ml.) for one hour at 22C. These sperm suspensions were then washed twice, subjected to a swim-up preparation, and subsequently incubated at 37C for 2 hours. The mean penetration rates of kallikrein-treated samples were significantly higher than those of the corresponding control assays in all but the oligoasthenozoospermia group. Our results suggest a direct proteolytic action of kallikrein because the stimulation of penetration into hamster eggs was not correlated with the amount of constituents of the kallikrein-kinin system (kinins, kininogen, kininase) in seminal plasma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sterzik
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strehler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosenbusch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007705:Kinins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000188:drug therapy; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida
chemical_list: D007705:Kinins; D007610:Kallikreins