Anti-seminal plasma antibodies associated with infertility: II. Comparative investigation of human antibody binding to normo-, astheno-, and azoospermic seminal plasma antigens.

PROBLEM

Sera from infertile patients with elevated reactivity against normozoospermic seminal plasma (NSP) have been selected to investigate human antibody binding to seminal fluid antigens present in abnormal ejaculates.

METHOD

Sera from 32 idiopathically infertile patients and 44 control sera from fertile individuals were examined by ELISA against: 1) pooled seminal plasma from asthenozoospermic ejaculates (AsthSP), 2) pooled seminal plasma from patients with aspermatogenic azoospermia (AzooSP), and 3) chromatographic fractions from NSP, AsthSP and AzooSP.

RESULTS

Of 32 patients positive for anti-NSP antibodies, only four exhibited increased reactivity to whole AsthSP and/or AzooSP, while 14 recognized antigens of different Mr and various distributions in the corresponding chromatographic fractions.

CONCLUSION

Targets of human anti-NSP antibodies might be lacking, less concentrated, and/or modified in AsthSP and AzooSP. These findings suggest their physiological importance and the possible relevance of the observed auto- and iso-immune responses to infertility.