Expression of mannose-ligand receptors on human spermatozoa: Effect of lecithin and association with sperm binding to the zona pellucida

Ronni Gamzu*, Leah Yogev, Sandra Kleiman, Amnon Botchan, Ron Hauser, Joseph B. Lessing, Gedalia Paz, Haim Yavetz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the change in the expression of mannose-ligand receptors and sperm binding capacity after the incubation of sperm cells with lecithin liposomes. Design: A randomized, blinded-controlled experiment. Setting: Andrology laboratory at the Lis Maternity Hospital. Patient(s): Fifteen fertile sperm donors and 10 subfertile men. Intervention(s): Incubation of sperm samples with either control medium or 1 mg/mL of liposomal lecithin for 2 hours. Main Outcome Measure(s): Expression of mannose-ligand receptors as evaluated by mannosylated bovine serum albumin- fluorescein isothiocyanate and sperm binding to the zona pellucida as evaluated by the hemizona assay. Result(s): The mean ± SE percentages of spermatozoa with patterns I, II, and III were 86% ± 4.8%, 11% ± 3.4%, and 3% ± 1.6%, respectively, after treatment with control medium and 71% ± 5.7%, 22% ± 3.5%, and 7% ± 2.5%, respectively, after treatment with lecithin. The same effect of lecithin was observed in the 10 sperm samples from subfertile men. The mean ± SE numbers of sperm that bound to hemizonae after treatment with control medium or lecithin were 116 ± 32.4 and 176 ± 29.6, respectively. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the shift in patterns II and III and the enhancement of sperm binding after lecithin treatment (r = 0.44 and 0.6, respectively). Conclusion(s): Lecithin shifts the expression of mannose-ligand receptors to the capacitated and acrosome-reacted patterns and enhances the binding capacity of the sperm cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)766-770
Number of pages5
JournalFertility and Sterility
Volume70
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1998
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Leo Mintz Fund for Gynecological Research, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Keywords

    • Lecithin
    • Mannose-ligand receptors
    • Spermatozoa

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