Sex difference in anti‐sperm antibodies

Abstract

Anti-sperm antibodies (ASA) are one of the causes of immune infertility, and they are produced in some infertile men and women.In the infertility outpatient clinic, the ASA testing for women, such as sperm-immobilization test (SIT). 1,2 is simple for the clinicians because it requires only the patients' sera. In men, however, the world health organization (WHO) recommend to perform the ASA testing for the detection of sperm-bound antibodies simultaneously during the routine semen examination. 3 Due to the complexity, it has been suggested that the actual examinations of ASA for infertile men are rare. Therefore, the option of testing sperm-immobilizing antibody in the infertile patients' sera is discussed for men and women.However, evaluation of sperm-immobilizing antibody in men's sera did not reveal its clinical significance. 4 In this way, it seems to be generally hard to say that the sex difference in ASA is well recognized. For women, sperm are immunogenic and they do not exist in themselves, and ASA are strictly homologous antibodies. On the contrary, ASA are produced as autoantibodies in men. So far, there have been no reports on the

Relative Abundance of Spermadhesin-1 in the Seminal Plasma of Young Nellore Bulls Is in Agreement with Reproductive Parameters

“…However, other studies have associated the presence of IgG in SP with subfertility in men due to the binding of these molecules to antigens present on the sperm surface, causing agglutination and immobilization. This, in turn, prevents the penetration of cervical mucus and leads to failures in the acrosomal reaction [82,83].…”

Developing biomedical engineering technologies for reproductive medicine

“…21,22 Sperm is considered as being antigenic toward the female body; thus, ASAs are naturally produced by the immune system to attack and eliminate sperm. 23 Consequently, a series of sperm activities were interfered, including the poor sperm motility and transport through the female reproductive tract, inhibited capacitation and acrosome reaction, defective fertilization, and embryonic development. There are many risk factors for ASA in men, such as inflammation of the male reproductive tract (MRT), the breakdown of the blood-testis barrier, genital trauma, and testicular tumors.…”

“…ASA is known to be responsible for up to 30% of infertile couples, and the first type of ASA was described in animals in 1954 by Rumke with the cytotoxic, immobilizing, and agglutinating functions 21,22 . Sperm is considered as being antigenic toward the female body; thus, ASAs are naturally produced by the immune system to attack and eliminate sperm 23 . Consequently, a series of sperm activities were interfered, including the poor sperm motility and transport through the female reproductive tract, inhibited capacitation and acrosome reaction, defective fertilization, and embryonic development.…”

Antisperm Antibodies and Hormonal Profiles Following Various Treatment Regimens of Broken Blood–Epididymal Barrier: A Rat Model Study

“…As for the outcome of the cyclosporine therapy, no firm conclusions can be made at this time. Shibahara et al (2022) in their review article described that, the approach for removing ASA bound to sperm's is the effort to remove sperm-binding antibody from sperm. However, it has been discovered that it is challenging to dissociate firmly attached antibodies.…”

“…The rate of oocyte fertilization may be increased by adding serum to sample collection pots. The last two techniques have not yet been used in clinical settings (Shibahara 2022).…”