Acrosin profiles of human spermatozoa recovered from the new Sperm Prep II filtration column.

Twenty semen samples were collected and two aliquots of 1.5 ml were prepared from each sample. One sample of each pair (fraction-one) was used for evaluation of semen parameters and total acrosin activity of spermatozoa.

The role of the seminal vesicles and coagulating glands in fertilization in the rat.

To investigate the role of the seminal vesicles (SV) and coagulating glands (CG) in fertilization in the rat, partial resections of the SV (25%--group B), 50%--group C, and 75%--group D) or bilateral resection of the SV alone (100%--group E), or together with the CG (group F) were undertaken. In other groups, bilateral resection of the CG only (group G), or bilateral resection of the CG with ipsilateral SV resection (group H) were performed. A group of sham-operated rats served as controls (group A).

Surgical repair of secondary right varicocele in rats with primary left varicocele: effects on fertility, testicular temperature, spermatogenesis, and sperm maturation.

To evaluate whether or not dilation of the right testicular vein is a constant finding in animals with left varicocele and to illustrate its contribution to the detrimental effect of a left varicocele on the right testis, an experimental varicocele model was produced in 40 rats. Ten other rats had a sham operation (group A). Seven weeks after the operation, all 50 rats underwent laparotomy and dilation of both testicular veins was seen in 23 rats, which were randomly assigned to group B (n = 11) and group C (n = 12).

Surgical repair versus medical treatment of varicocele in the rat: pharmacological manipulation of the varicocelized testicle.

Human chorionic gonadotropin, kallikrein, indomethacin, and hydralazine were administered to different groups of varicocelized rats, while surgical repair of the varicocele was performed in another group of rats. The effects of conservative and surgical treatment on epididymal sperm content and motility, the weights of the testes, epididymis, and male accessory genital glands, and fertility were compared between each group and a sham-treated group of rats. Surgical repair significantly improved all the evaluated parameters and all the conservative regimens, except hydralazine, resulted in a significant improvement in most parameters.

Improvements in qualitative characteristics of cryopreserved human spermatozoa following recovery via the SpermPrep II filtration method.

Motile, morphologically normal human spermatozoa can be separated from semen via a disposable SpermPrep filtration method. This method was employed with great success using frozen-thawed spermatozoa. The present study examined the qualitative characteristics of filtered spermatozoa via a new SpermPrep II filtration method in conjunction with the short-term freeze preservation of these spermatozoa.

The effect of kallikrein on human sperm membrane function.

To illustrate the influence of kallikrein on the hypoosmotic swelling test, 84 human semen samples were classified into 4 groups: normospermia (n = 34, group A), oligospermia (n = 18, group B), asthenospermia (n = 8, group C), and oligoasthenospermia (n = 24, group D). Two aliquots of 0.45 ml were prepared from each specimen in all the groups: one was incubated for 3 hr in a glass tube containing kallikrein and the other was incubated without kallikrein (control).

The role of rat copulatory plug for fertilization.

To investigate the contribution of the rat copulatory plug (RCP) to fertilization we evaluated the following: 1) its role as a reservoir for spermatozoa, 2) its role in the prevention of the outflow of spermatozoa from the vagina, and 3) its importance in the process of the sperm into the uterus. Artificial inseminations with either fresh RCP or epididymal spermatozoal solutions or the postcoital removal of the RCP was performed in normal female rats in estrus and in pseudopregnant rats (following relaxation of the cervix by faradic stimulation). The pregnancy rates in the different groups indicated that only the third mechanism was important.