Abstract
Summary
Rabbit semen, but not rabbit seminal plasma (vasectomized rabbits), rapidly disperses the cumulus mass surrounding newly ovulated rabbit eggs. Following exposure to antisemen antibodies (goat or guinea pig origin) rabbit semen and sperm extracts fail to disperse the cumulus. Likewise, rabbit sperm extracts failed to depolymerize hyaluronic acid in the presence of antisemen antibody. These inhibitory effects are produced by both bivalent antibody and by univalent (Fab) antibody fragments with a high order of species specificity. Antiepididymal sperm antibodies, but not antiseminal plasma antibodies also have the inhibitory properties. Approximately 50% of the extractable hyaluronidase activity of ejaculated rabbit sperm is vulnerable to antibody inhibition prior to extraction. Isoimmunization of virgin female rabbits with rabbit semen results in isoantibodies that inhibit rabbit sperm cumulus dispersing action and hyaluronidase activities of epididymal, ejaculated and capacitated rabbit sperm extracts. Human semen hyaluronidase disperses rabbit cumulus and depolymerizes hyaluronic acid. Both of these effects are inhibited by rabbit antihuman semen antibodies.
The authors thank Dr. W. J. LeMaire, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Miami, for arranging provision of human semen samples.
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