title: Relationship between acrosin activity of human spermatozoa and oxidative stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the association between seminal oxidative stress and human sperm acrosin activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  It is a prospective study consisting of 30 infertile men and 12 fertile normozoospermic volunteers. A full history, clinical examination and scrotal ultrasound were done to exclude other related factors such as smoking and varicocele. Presence of white blood cells (WBCs) in semen samples was evaluated by peroxidase staining. Lipid peroxidation in spermatozoa was induced after incubating with ferrous sulphate (4 mmol/L) and sodium ascorbate (20 mmol/L). Induced peroxidation of spermatozoa was assessed by determining the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Acrosin activity was measured using the gelatinolysis technique. The halo diameters around the sperm heads and the percentages of spermatozoa showing halo formation were evaluated. An acrosin activity index was calculated by multiplying the halo diameter by the halo formation rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant difference was observed in acrosin activity parameters and TBARS levels between samples with WBCs (1 multiply 10(6)/mL of ejaculate) and those without. This difference was also noted between the normozoospermic and the oligoasthenoteratozoospermic semen samples. The TBARS production by spermatozoa had a significant negative correlation with the acrosin activity index (r = -0.89, P 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of oxidative stress in an individual with leukocytospermia and/or abnormal semen parameters is associated with impaired sperm function as measured by its acrosin activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Adel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zalata
authors.forename: Ashraf H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Shyam S R
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Allamaneni
authors.forename: Frank H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Comhaire
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D000176:Acrosin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D005780:Gelatin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D005780:Gelatin; D000176:Acrosin