Effects of bovine mammary alpha-lactalbumin on hyperactivation and sperm-zona pellucida binding of mouse spermatozoa.

The effects of bovine mammary alpha-lactalbumin on the motility and zona-binding characteristics of mouse sperm were investigated. Two properties of sperm associated with capacitation, hyperactivated motility, and the ability of sperm to bind to the zona pellucida of oocytes were shown to be suppressed by alpha-lactalbumin. These inhibitory effects were not accompanied by changes in the percentage of motile cells or by differences in the velocity parameters of the hyperactivated and non-hyperactivated spermatozoa. Bovine serum albumin prevented and reversed the alpha-lactalbumin-induced suppression of hyperactivation. Sperm-zona pellucida binding was partially restored by lowering the alpha-lactalbumin concentration in the medium in which sperm were allowed to bind to the zona pellucida. The results suggest that mouse sperm are decapacitated by bovine mammary alpha-lactalbumin. The counteracting effect of bovine serum albumin to the suppressive action of alpha-lactalbumin on the flagellum suggests the involvement of a mechanism different from the action of alpha-lactalbumin on the sperm head inhibiting binding to the zona pellucida.