title: Detection of antizona pellucida antibodies in the sera from premature ovarian failure patients by a highly specific test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a highly specific test for the detection of antizona pellucida (ZP) antibodies in the sera from premature ovarian failure (POF) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven idiopathic POF patients, 30 control women, and 30 healthy males.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anti-ZP antibodies were detected by the microdot assay using a very small amount of human ZP or porcine ZP. The effect of anti-ZP antibodies on sperm-ZP binding was examined by hemizona assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Results from the microdot assay and hemizona assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the microdot assay using human ZP, the sera from POF patients reacted significantly stronger than those of control women and healthy males. However, no obvious difference could be found by the same assay using porcine ZP among these three groups. Anti-ZP antibodies against sera from some POF patients showed significant blocking effects on sperm-ZP binding assessed by hemizona assay. Anti-ZP antibodies were detected in 7 of 27 POF patients, while none were detected in control women and healthy males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some idiopathic POF patients have anti-ZP antibodies in their sera, which were detected with high specificity by a newly developed microdot assay using a very small amount of human ZP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takamizawa
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibahara
authors.forename: Tamaho
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibayama
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000276:immunology*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D013552:Swine / Q000276:immunology; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies