[Sperm acrosin activity helps predict IVF-ET outcome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of sperm acrosin activity on the IVF-ET outcome.


METHODS
We analyzed sperm parameters, morphology and acrosin activity for 909 infertile husbands by computer-assisted self-assessment (CASA), modified Papanicolaou staining and N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA), respectively, and detected the rates of fertilization, cleavage, quality embryos, embryo cryopreservation, implantation, clinical pregnancy and abortion. The wives were identified as normal or with mere oviduct problems.


RESULTS
The rate of normal sperm morphology and sperm motility, vitality, rapid progressive velocity and concentration were significantly lower in the abnormal acrosin activity group than in the normal one (P < 0.01). Significant positive correlations were observed between acrosin activity and the above-mentioned semen parameters (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the number of retrieved eggs, the rates of cleavage, quality embryos, embryo cryopreservation, non-embryo transfer cycles and miscarriages, and the number of transferred embryos between the two groups (P > 0.05). The fertilization rate, the percentage of transfer cycles with only 1 embryo and the rate of implantation and clinical pregnancy were notably higher in the normal acrosin activity group than in the abnormal one (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Sperm acrosin activity is closely related with semen parameters, and it helps to predict the sperm fertilizing capacity and IVF-ET outcome.
Chen
Xin-Jie
XJ
Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510150, China.
Long
Xiao-Lin
XL
Sun
Xiao-Fang
XF
Zhang
Wei-Liang
WL
Wu
Xue-Shi
XS
Luo
Yu-Mei
YM
Du
Hong-Zi
HZ
Liao
Bao-Ping
BP
Zhou
Hua
H
D000176:Acrosin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000201:enzymology*
D000176:Acrosin