ABSTRACT
A variety of natural and artificial cryoprotectant extenders have been explored to enhance sperm recovery following cryopreservation-thawing process.The current investigation is aimed at evaluating the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on human spermatozoa and reactive species oxygen (ROS) level after freezing-thawing process.The spermatozoa were collected from 35 male patients diagnosed as having asthenospermia.The cryopreservation of human spermatozoa treated with acetyl-L-camitine at different concentrations (group B:2.5 mmol/L,group C:7.5 mmol/L,group D:15 mmol/L) was compared with control (group A:no acetyl-L-carnitine given).For the frozen-thawed spermatozoa,the viability,motility and DNA integrity were measured by comet assay,acrosome integrity by FITC-PNA staining and ROS level was determined in each group.The results showed that there were no significant differences in motility and viability between group A and group B,while the motility and viability of spermatozoa in group C and group D were significantly increased as compared with those in group A.As compared with group A,the values for DNA integrity parameters including comet rate (CR),tail DNA percentage (TD),tail length (TL) and Oliver tail moment (OTM) were significantly reduced in group C and group D.Group C and group D also displayed a higher proportion of intact acrosome than group A.No significant difference in ROS level was found between group A and group B,while with the increase in acetyl-L-camitine concentration,the ROS level in groups C and D was significantly reduced as compared with that in group A.In conclusion,acetyl-L-camitine at a concentration of 7.5 mmol/L is an effective antioxidant against cryo-damage on post-thawed human spermatozoa.
ABSTRACT
This study examined the impact of luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) on endometrial receptivity.The menstrual cycle of 17 LUF patients (LUF group) and 13 ovulatory women (control group) was monitored by measuring LH level in urine and by ultrasonic examination.An endometrial biopsy at the sixth to tenth day after LH surge was taken in all the patients.The expressions of endo-metrial ER,PR and integrin avβ3 were immunohistochemically determined.At the same time,the serum levels of E2 and P were detected by chemiluminescence.The results exhibited that (1) The mean serum P level in LUF group (7.32±2.56 ng/mL) was significantly lower than that in control group (11.17±3.17 ng/mL) (P＜0.01).But there was no significant difference in the mean serum E2 levels between LUF group (179.35±81.60 pg/mL) and the control group (198.58±75.23 pg/mL) (P＞0.05); (2) The mean expression intensities of ER,PR in endometrium of LUF group (183.86±2.43,167.94±3.04) were significantly higher than those in control group (109.35±6.31,105.98±4.07)(P＜0.01); (3) The mean expression intensities of integrin αvβ3 in endomtrium of LUF patients (114.90±11.38) were significantly lower than those in control group (191.34±1.82) (P＜0.01); (4)The change profile of integrin αvβ3 expression in the endometrium of LUF patients was in positive relation with serum P level (r=0.77,P＜0.01),but bore no significant relationship with serum E2 level (r=0.01,P＞0.05).It was concluded that the depression of serum P levels in LUF patients was closely related to the failure of the down-regulation of ER and PR,and the low expressions of integrin αvβ3 also suggested that the delayed implantation and the impaired endometrial receptivity had impact on embryonic implantation.