title: Bicarbonate secretion by the female reproductive tract and its impact on sperm fertilizing capacity.
abstract: The luminal fluid environment of the female reproductive tract is considered critical for the sperm to undergo a series of molecular events leading to the final acquisition of their fertilizing capacity. It has been shown that the fluid in the female reproductive tract contains high content of HCO3- and it plays an important role in sperm functions including sperm motility, capacitation, hyperactivation and acrosome reaction. This review summarizes the effects of HCO3- on sperm functions occurring in the female reproductive tract and discusses the transport mechanisms involved in mediating uterine HCO3- secretion. New evidence is also presented to show possible cause of female infertility due to defective HCO3- transporting mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Epithelial Cell Biology Research Center, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chen-Xi
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hsiao-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000502:physiology*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001639:Bicarbonates