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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Analysis of Epididymal Protein Synthesis and Secretion
Published on: August 25, 2018
Immunocontraceptive properties of recombinant sperm protein DE: implications for the development of novel
Diego A Ellerman1, Dolores Busso, Julieta A Maldera
1Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME-CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, Buenos Aires (1428), Argentina.
Objective:
To evaluate the immunocontraceptive properties of recombinant DE, a sperm epididymal protein involved in fertilization, via an experimental study in rats as a critical step toward the development of a human immunocontraceptive.
Design:
In vivo study in rats.
Setting:
Animal care facility of an academic research center.
Animal(S):
Seventy-four 90-day-old Wistar male and female rats distributed into three groups.
Intervention(S):
Animals received five injections (intramuscular and subcutaneous) of recombinant DE (recDE), native DE (nDE), or MBP (maltose-binding protein). At various times, animals were anesthetized and bled.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Anti-DE levels and tissue specificity of sera were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot, respectively. Fertility was analyzed by natural mating. The testes and epididymides were analyzed by histology.
Result(S):
Recombinant DE raised an immune response with the same kinetics and higher anti-DE levels than that elicited by nDE. Sera against recDE recognized epitopes of DE that were different from those recognized by anti-nDE sera but specifically reacted with DE in epididymis and sperm without cross-reacting with other tissues tested. Male and female recDE-injected animals presented a statistically significant reduction in their fertility with no evidence of pathologic effects.
Conclusion(S):
Recombinant DE is able to both elicit a specific immune response and inhibit male and female fertility, supporting the use of this sperm epididymal protein for the development of an immunocontraceptive approach.
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