[Ion channels of mammalian and human sperm membrane]

Ionic fluxes are thought to be important for sperm physiology. In recent years, using artificial membrane reconstitution and voltage clamp technique, different populations of ion channels, including K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Cl- channel, in mammalian and human sperm membrane were investigated. These studies shed lights to the understanding of some ionic basis underlying some mechanisms of sperm maturation, capacitation and gamete interaction. The results on human sperm ion channels also give us a chance to take it into clinic utility.