The hemizona assay (HZA): a predictor of human sperm fertilizing potential in in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
01 Feb 1989-Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics (Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers)-Vol. 6, Iss: 1, pp 44-50
TL;DR: Assessment of the relationship between sperm binding to the hemizona and in vitro fertilization (IVF) success enhanced confidence that the HZA is diagnostic for identification of patients at high risk of failing to achieve fertilization in vitro.
Abstract: The hemizona assay (HZA) was developed to assess human sperm fertilizing potential. This blinded study investigated the relationship between sperm binding to the hemizona and in vitro fertilization (IVF) success (36 patients). Nonliving human oocytes were recovered from excised ovaries and stored. Each zona pellucida was cut into equal hemispheres by micromanipulation. For the HZA, one droplet exposed a hemizona to abnormal spermatozoa, while the control droplet contained the matching hemizona and spermatozoa from normal semen. After 4 hr, the number of tightly bound spermatozoa was counted. Binding to the hemizona was significantly higher for those having IVF success (mean of 36.1±7, versus 10.4±4 from the failure group;P<0.05). Fewer sperm from the failure group had a strictly normal morphology (3,2 versus 12.7%;P<0.05, Kruger method). Tight zona binding was significantly correlated with the percentage motile sperm, percentage normal morphology, and seminal sperm concentration. These results enhanced our confidence that the HZA is diagnostic for identification of patients at high risk of failing to achieve fertilization in vitro.
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01 Jan 2010
2,199 citations
TL;DR: The inclusion of an accurately evaluated normal sperm morphology count as an integral part of the standard semen analysis makes this analysis still the most cost-effective means of evaluating the male factor.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to conduct a structured review of the literature published on the use of normal sperm morphology, as an indicator of male fertility potential in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) situation, and to establish the universal predictive value of this semen parameter. Published literature in which normal sperm morphology was used to predict fertilization and pregnancy, during the period 1978-1996, was reviewed. A total of 216 articles were identified by the sourcing methodology, but only 49 provided data that could be tabulated and analysed. Of these, only 18 provided sufficient data for statistical analysis. Fifteen studies used the strict criteria to evaluate sperm morphology, two used World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and one used both the strict criteria and the WHO guidelines. All the studies (n = 10) using the 5 and 14% normal sperm morphology thresholds (strict criteria) produced positive predictive values for IVF success. In the prediction of pregnancy, 82% (9/11) and 75% (6/8) of the studies produced positive predictive values when using the 5% and 14% thresholds respectively. Aggregating the data produced around the 5% normal sperm morphology threshold (strict criteria), the overall fertilization rates were 59.3% (1979/3337; per oocyte) for the 4% group, and the overall pregnancy rates were 15.2% (60/395; per cycle) and 26.0% (355/1368; per cycle) respectively. The no-transfer rates across the 5% threshold were 24.0% (86/359; per cycle) in the 4% group. The inclusion of an accurately evaluated normal sperm morphology count as an integral part of the standard semen analysis makes this analysis still the most cost-effective means of evaluating the male factor.
247 citations
TL;DR: Results of in vitro fertilization can be used to evaluate tests of human sperm function and Logistic regression analysis is a powerful method for determining which groups of sperm characteristics are independently related to fertilization rates.
208 citations
TL;DR: At least in rodent species, activation of sperm mitochondria appears to be a particularly important part of epididymal maturation.
Abstract: Epididymal maturation is associated with the activation of a cAMP-induced tyrosine phosphorylation cascade, which is ultimately associated with the expression of capacitation-dependent sperm functions, such as hyperactivated movement and acrosomal exocytosis. As spermatozoa progress through the epididymis they first acquire the capacity to phosphorylate tyrosine on targets on the principal piece, followed by the midpiece. By the time these cells have reached the cauda epididymidis they can phosphorylate the entire tail from neck to endpiece. This particular pattern of phosphorylation is associated with the ontogeny of fully functional spermatozoa that are capable of fertilizing the oocyte. Proteomic analyses indicate that this change is associated with the phosphorylation of several mitochondrial proteins, creation of a mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of mitochondrial free radical generation. At least in rodent species, activation of sperm mitochondria appears to be a particularly important part of epididymal maturation.
178 citations
TL;DR: A 95-kilodalton mouse sperm protein with characteristics of a protein tyrosine kinase has been identified as a receptor for ZP3, a glycoprotein in the egg's extracellular matrix.
Abstract: A 95-kilodalton mouse sperm protein with characteristics of a protein tyrosine kinase has been identified as a receptor for ZP3, a glycoprotein in the egg's extracellular matrix. The structure of the human homolog was determined by screening an expression library from human testis; a testis-specific complementary DNA was isolated that encodes a protein similar to receptor tyrosine kinases and appears to be expressed only in testicular germ cells. Antibodies against a synthetic peptide from the intracellular domain recognized a 95-kilodalton human sperm protein that contains phosphotyrosine; human ZP3 stimulates the kinase activity of this sperm protein. Synthetic peptides corresponding to regions of the predicted extracellular domain inhibited sperm binding to human zona pellucida. Availability of the primary sequence of a receptor for ZP3 provides a rational starting point for sperm-targeted contraceptive development.
176 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted a prospective study in women with bilateral tubal damage to determine whether there is a prognostic value in the percentage normal sperm morphologic features in a human in vitro fertilization (IVF) program.
1,153 citations
"The hemizona assay (HZA): a predict..." refers background or methods in this paper
...(12) have previously reported that such semen, with <4% normal forms, was associated with very low IVF fertilization rates (7....
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...maining 29 patients had teratozoospermia, that is, <14% morphologically normal spermatozoa, according to new criteria described recently (see below) (12-14)....
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...The data were then reanalyzed using the second approach, such that the 36 IVF cases were assigned to three new groups according to the percentage of strictly normal spermatozoa in the semen [Kruger method (12-14)]: (i) the normal-morphology group...
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...and colleagues (12-14) and the new Dusseldorf classification for abnormal cells (18)....
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TL;DR: By evaluating sperm morphology with the proposed strict criteria, its predictive value in in vitro fertilization is enhanced.
1,095 citations
"The hemizona assay (HZA): a predict..." refers background or methods in this paper
...maining 29 patients had teratozoospermia, that is, <14% morphologically normal spermatozoa, according to new criteria described recently (see below) (12-14)....
[...]
...The data were then reanalyzed using the second approach, such that the 36 IVF cases were assigned to three new groups according to the percentage of strictly normal spermatozoa in the semen [Kruger method (12-14)]: (i) the normal-morphology group...
[...]
...and colleagues (12-14) and the new Dusseldorf classification for abnormal cells (18)....
[...]
...Using these strict criteria for normal morphology, all semen samples were assigned to one of three groups: (i) the "poor"-morphology group, having <4% normal spermatozoa; (ii) the "borderline"morphology group, having 4 to 14% normal spermatozoa; and (iii) the "normal"-morphology group, having >14% perfectly normal spermatozoa (14)....
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01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: This chapter will discuss how mammalian spermatozoa prepare themselves for fertilization and how the spermatozosa and eggs interact during fertilization.
Abstract: The spermatozoa of most invertebrates (e.g., sea urchins) and nonmammalian vertebrates (e.g., fishes and amphibians) have full capacity to fertilize eggs upon leaving the testis. Testicular spermatozoa of mammals, on the other hand, do not possess the ability to do so. Their fertilizing capacity develops as they pass through the epididymis (Young, 1931; Nishikawa and Waide, 1952; Blandau and Rumery, 1964; Bedford, 1966; Orgebin-Crist, 1967). This process, apparently “unique” to mammals, is referred to as the epididymal maturation of spermatozoa. Even after their maturation, however, spermatozoa require an additional phase of maturation or capacitation within the female genital tract before they are able to fertilize eggs (Austin, 1951, 1952; Chang, 1951a). Thus, epididymal maturation and capacitation are two extra steps that mammaliam spermatozoa must take before they can effect fertilization. In this chapter, I will discuss how mammalian spermatozoa prepare themselves for fertilization and how the spermatozoa and eggs interact during fertilization. The process and mechanisms of sperm transport in the female genital tract will not be dealt with extensively here. Readers are referred to Bishop (1961, 1969), Blandau (1969), Bedford (1970b, 1972b), Thibault (1972, 1973a), Zamboni (1972), Blandau and Gaddum-Rosse (1974), Hafez and Thibault (1975), Overstreet and Katz (1977), Overstreet and Cooper (1978, 1979b), Overstreet et al. (1978), Shalgi and Kraicer(1978), Cooper et al. (1979) and Hunter (1975, 1980). The rejection or elimination of extra spermatozoa by the fertilized egg, one of the most fascinating events in fertilization, will not be discussed here. Instead, readers are referred to the chapter by Dr. Wolf in this volume. The physiology of egg activation has been described and discussed to some extent by Gwatkin (1977) and Yanagimachi (1978a). There are numerous reviews dealing with general aspects of mammalian fertilization. The following are recommended to aid in grasping the outline of mammalian fertilization: Austin and Bishop (1957), Austin and Walton (1960), Austin (1961, 1968), Blandau (1961), Piko (1969), Thibault (1969), Bedford (1970a,b, 1972b), Gwatkin (1976, 1977), Yanagimachi (1977, 1978a), Bedford and Cooper (1978) and Hunter (1980).
773 citations
"The hemizona assay (HZA): a predict..." refers background in this paper
...The zona pellucida of mammalian oocytes is a critical site for sperm-egg interaction during the early stages of fertilization (1)....
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Book•
01 Jan 1970
TL;DR: In this article, statistics with applications to the biological and health sciences, Statistics with application to the Biological and Health Sciences (B&H), Statistics with applications in the field of biology and medicine.
Abstract: Statistics with applications to the biological and health sciences , Statistics with applications to the biological and health sciences , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
496 citations
TL;DR: Sperm from fertile men exhibited significantly higher binding capacity to hemizonae compared with sperm from men who had fertilization failure during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, demonstrating that the HZA may be a useful diagnostic tool in male infertility evaluations.
390 citations