Treatment of spermagglutination with proteolytic enzymes. II. Sperm function after enzymatic disagglutination

Antibody-mediated spermagglutination is responsible for infertility in some couples and fertilization in vitro can also be impaired by these antibodies. Having previously demonstrated the possibility of enzymatic disagglutination in such situations, the functional potential of disagglutinated spermatozoa has now been assessed. Chymotrypsin (500 U/ml) and papain (50 U/ml) resulted in impairment of oocyte penetration in the zona-free hamster egg penetration test. Trypsin (500 U/ml), while having no effect on egg penetration of normal spermatozoa, significantly improved oocyte penetration of spermatozoa which had been previously incubated with spermagglutinating antibody-positive sera. Sperm-mucus interaction was not improved, however, by trypsin treatment of agglutinated spermatozoa. This technique may be of value in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization in situations where spermagglutination exists, and also possibly with intra-uterine insemination if improved fertilizing ability can be confirmed in vitro.