The concerted effect of alpha-chlorohydrin and glucose on the ATP concentration in spermatozoa is associated with the accumulation of glycolytic intermediates.

In the absence of a glycolysable sugar the effect of 1 mM-RS-alpha-chlorohydrin on the ATP concentration in ram or boar spermatozoa was relatively small but the addition of 0.10 or 0.03 mM-glucose initiated a rapid loss of ATP. When the spermatozoa were incubated with 0.05 mM-RS-alpha-chlorohydrin, the addition of 1.0 mM (ram) or 0.06 mM (boar)-glucose was required to produce ATP dissipation. In ram spermatozoa treated with 0.05 or 1.00 mM-RS-alpha-chlorohydrin, ATP loss was caused by 10 mM-fructose or 10 mM-mannose but not by 10 mM-glycerol or 10 mM-inositol. In boar spermatozoa incubated with 1 mM-RS-alpha-chlorohydrin the addition of 10 mM-L-lactate plus 1.0 mM-pyruvate protected the spermatozoa against the ability of 1.0 mM-glucose to produce a decline in ATP concentration. Every combination of treatments capable of inducing a marked decline in ATP concentration also caused a dramatic (20-100-fold) increase in the concentration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. An increase in fructose 1,6-bisphosphate concentration was never observed when the ATP concentration was unaffected. We conclude that it is very probable that the concerted effect of alpha-chlorohydrin and glycolysable sugar is responsible for the contraceptive action of alpha-chlorohydrin in vivo and that fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is implicated in its mechanism of action.