Roy L. Ax

Relationship of heparin binding with computer-analyzed physical traits of human sperm**Supported by a University of Wisconsin biomedical research support grant (J.M.V.); a University of Wisconsin graduate school grant (J.M.V.); and a consortium grant from Atlantic Breeders Cooperative, NOBA, Sire Power, Inc., and Twenty-First Century Genetics (R.L.A.).

The objective of this study was to determine whether heparin affinity or the concentration of binding sites was related to sperm traits analyzed by a routine computerized semen analysis in human males requesting infertility evaluations. Saturation of heparin binding sites on sperm was achieved in 36 of 50 samples analyzed so that accurate estimates of dissociation constants (Kd) and binding site concentrations could be made. A broad range in Kds (18.2 to 284.5 nM/micrograms deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA]) and binding site concentrations (2.70 to 44.77 nM/micrograms DNA) was found. The binding affinity of sperm for heparin was significantly correlated with concentrations of cells in the ejaculate (r = 0.56), concentrations of motile sperm (r = 0.51), percentage of motile sperm (r = 0.33), and total numbers of ejaculated sperm (r = 0.37). The concentration of heparin binding sites also was correlated with concentration of cells in the ejaculate (r = 0.60), concentration of motile sperm (r = 0.50), percentage of motile sperm (r = 0.40), and total number of ejaculated sperm (r = 0.49).

Glycosaminoglycans in follicular fluid from women undergoing in vitro fertilization and their relationship to cumulus expansion, fertilization, and development**Supported by the University of Wisconsin College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Hatch grant 2778, and the Graduate School.

The glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) chondroitin sulfate (CS) and heparan sulfate (HS) were assayed in fluid from 178 individual follicles obtained from women after human menopausal gonadotropin ovulation induction for subsequent in vitro fertilization. CS and HS concentrations ranged from 0 to 3.9 and 0 to 18.6 mg/ml, respectively. The percentage of oocytes fertilized was significantly higher when CS concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 0.8 mg/ml (P less than 0.03). As HS levels increased, maturation scores by visual assessment of the egg-corona-cumulus cell complexes increased (P less than 0.05), but the percentage of oocytes fertilized was not affected. Cleavage rates of developing embryos were not related to the concentrations of GAGs.