Sperm Capacitation Assay as a Tool to Predict Sperm Potential to Fertilize in IVF Treatment
Summary
Our aim is to evaluate the potential of a new laboratory method that measure sperm capacitation to predict fertilization of oocytes in patients that undergo IVF treatments
Description
Capacitation is a physiologic process in which the sperm acquire the potential to fertilize oocytes. Capacitation can be measured, but the available technics are expensive, inaccurate and complex. A new method to evaluate sperm capacitation was developed in Bar Ilan University, Israel. We intend to measure the capacitation of semen that is used for fertilizing human oocytes in patients treated at the IVF unit at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.By this, to evaluate the potential of the new method to predict human oocyte fertilization.If the method will be found valuable, it will enable to develop new drugs/methods that may improve sperm capacitation and by this to improve oocyte fertilization leading to more embryos, pregnancies and deliveries.
Study Design
Time Perspective: Prospective
Conditions
Sperm Capacitation
Intervention
sperm capacitation, biologic, sperm capacitation
Location
Assaf Harofeh MC
Beer Yaacov
Zerifin
Israel
70300
Status
Recruiting
Source
Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00731159
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Sperm Capacitation
The structural and functional changes by which SPERMATOZOA become capable of oocyte FERTILIZATION. It normally requires exposing the sperm to the female genital tract for a period of time to bring about increased SPERM MOTILITY and the ACROSOME REACTION before fertilization in the FALLOPIAN TUBES can take place.
Semen Analysis
The quality of SEMEN, an indicator of male fertility, can be determined by semen volume, pH, sperm concentration (SPERM COUNT), total sperm number, sperm viability, sperm vigor (SPERM MOTILITY), normal sperm morphology, ACROSOME integrity, and the concentration of WHITE BLOOD CELLS.
Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
An assisted fertilization technique consisting of the microinjection of a single viable sperm into an extracted ovum. It is used principally to overcome low sperm count, low sperm motility, inability of sperm to penetrate the egg, or other conditions related to male infertility (INFERTILITY, MALE).
Sperm-ovum Interactions
Interactive processes between the oocyte (OVUM) and the sperm (SPERMATOZOA) including sperm adhesion, ACROSOME REACTION, sperm penetration of the ZONA PELLUCIDA, and events leading to FERTILIZATION.
Sperm Maturation
The maturing process of SPERMATOZOA after leaving the testicular SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES. Maturation in SPERM MOTILITY and FERTILITY takes place in the EPIDIDYMIS as the sperm migrate from caput epididymis to cauda epididymis.
Clinical Trials
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Vitamin E and Male Infertility
The goal of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between the levels of Vitamin E in sperm and sperm DNA fragmentation. Previous research has shown that damage to the...
Study of Sperm Molecular Factors Implicated in Male Fertility
Sperm analysis following World Health Organization guidelines is unable to explain the molecular causes of male infertility when basic sperm parameters are within a normal range and women...
Despite the known adverse effects of specific cancer treatments on fertility, only 18-26% of at-risk adolescents and young men cryopreserve sperm prior to cancer treatment in the US:These...
Semen Analysis After Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer
The purpose of this study is to evaluate semen for changes following radiation treatment with proton beam radiotherapy alone. The semen samples will be compared for sperm count, sperm move...
PubMed Articles
SummaryMammalian sperm undergo a series of biochemical transformations in the female reproductive tract that are collectively known as capacitation. One of the key processes involved in capacitation i...
cGMP and cyclic nucleotide-gated channels participate in mouse sperm capacitation.
During capacitation of mammalian sperm intracellular [Ca(2+)] and cyclic nucleotides increase, suggesting that CNG channels play a role in the physiology of sperm. Here we study the effect of capacita...
Calpain modulates capacitation and acrosome reaction through cleavage of the spectrin cytoskeleton.
Research on fertilization in mammalian species has revealed that Ca2+ is an important player in biochemical and physiological events enabling the sperm to penetrate the oocyte. Ca2+ is a signal transd...
Effect of capacitation on the endocannabinoid system of mouse sperm.
The presence of the elements of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in sperm isolated from several species (from invertebrates to mammals, humans included) has supported the "evolutionary theory" that pr...
The role of ezrin-associated protein network in human sperm capacitation.
Membrane modifications in sperm cells represent a key step in sperm capacitation; however, the molecular basis of these modifications is not fully understood. Ezrin is the best-studied member of the e...
