Disc-electrophoretic protein pattern of cervical mucus in cases of humoral sensitization against spermatozoa

Midcycle cerevical mucus samples from 20 fertile women with negative, and from 6 infertile women with positive serum-sperm agglutinating activity were subjected to a qualitative protein analysis by the Ouchterlony-technique, to polyacrylamide (PAA) discelectrophoresis and after purification on spermatozoa they were also run against rabbit antihuman serum in the Laurell immuno-electrophoretic technique. By the Ouchterlony method the main serum protein fractions were shown to occur also in cervical mucus. No significant differences could be found in the protein pattern of samples from fertile and infertile females as detected by polyacrylamide (PAA) electrophoresis. In all samples a split protein fraction corresponding to serum albumin and a band preceding the protein fraction corresponding to serum preablumin were observed. In 2 samples from infertile females it could be demonstrated that immunoglobulins occurring in the cervical mucus were directed towards antigenic sperm components.