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Anti‐Seminal Plasma Antibodies Associated With Infertility: II. Comparative Investigation of Human Antibody Binding to Normo‐, Astheno‐, and Azoospermic Seminal Plasma Antigens
Author(s) -
Fichorova R.,
Boulanov I.,
Stanislavov R.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.1996.tb00164.x
Subject(s) - antibody , antigen , infertility , azoospermia , semen , andrology , male infertility , immunology , biology , immune system , endocrinology , medicine , pregnancy , genetics
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.