title: Sperm caspases become more activated in infertility patients than in healthy donors during cryopreservation.
abstract: The programmed cell death (PCD, the apoptosis) is associated with the activation of the "death enzymes" caspases and very likely plays a role in the decrease of sperm vitality during cryopreservation. The activation of pan-caspases was examined in fresh and cryostored sperm by fluorescence microscopy applying a cell permeable and noncytotoxic carboxy-fluorescein labelled caspase inhibitor. Cryopreservation increased significantly the percentage of spermatozoa with activated pan-caspases (aCP) from 21 +/- 2.6 to 47 +/- 5.8 % (mean +/- SEM). Quantitative Western blot analyses confirmed the activation of caspase-1, -8, and -9 in detail on protein level after cryopreservation, whereas, the caspases of sperm of infertility patients showed a higher activation status than donors' sperm. This effect raised with increasing glycerol concentration from 7-14 %. The higher level in activation of caspases in cryostored spermatozoa of infertility patients may indicate that these cells have a lower cryotolerance and a higher susceptibility to caspase activation than does the sperm of donors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Andrology, Department of Dermatology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grunewald
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Paasch
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wuendrich
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Glander
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000201:enzymology*; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases; D020170:Caspase 1