title: Deterioration of plasma membrane is associated with activated caspases in human spermatozoa.
abstract: Spermatozoa with deteriorated plasma membranes can be separated by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) after binding superparamagnetic annexin V-conjugated microbeads (ANMBs) to membrane phosphatidylserine (PS). Semen samples from 15 donors and 25 infertile patients were divided into 2 spermatozoal fractions by annexin V-MACS. Activated caspases (aCPs), which mediate degradations of cell quality, were determined by CaspaTag in the 2 subpopulations. Spermatozoa from donors showed lower levels of bound annexin V (3.6% +/- 0.5% vs 11.9% +/- 1.1%; P <.01) and aCPs (21.8% +/- 2.6% vs 43.2% +/- 2.1%; P <.01) than did spermatozoa from infertile patients. MACS resulted in a decrease of spermatozoa with aCPs from 21.8% +/- 2.6% (before separation) to 9.2% +/- 1.4% (in the ANMB-negative fraction) in donors and from 43.2% +/- 2.1% to 18.8% +/- 2.6% in infertile patients (mean +/- SEM; P <.01). Separation effects of the MACS technique were confirmed with flow cytometry using anti-annexin V antibodies and with electron microscopy. ANMB-MACS removes spermatozoa with PS-bound annexin V and produces a higher quality spermatozoal fraction. Spermatozoa with a deteriorated membrane are characterized by an increase in aCPs. A higher percentage of spermatozoa with ANMBs bound to PS and with aCPs were found in infertile patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology/Andrology Unit, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Paasch
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grunewald
authors.forename: Guenter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fitzl
authors.forename: Hans-Juergen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Glander
mesh_terms: D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D000906:Antibodies; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013077:Sperm Head / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D000906:Antibodies; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D020169:Caspases; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate