Hydrogen peroxide induces premature acrosome reaction in rat sperm and reduces their penetration of the zona pellucida

• Published in: Toxicology (Amsterdam) Vol. 139; no. 1; pp. 93 - 101
• Main Authors: Hsu, Ping-Chi, Hsu, Chao-Chin, Guo, Yueliang Leon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 29.11.1999; Amsterdam Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acrosome reaction; Acrosome Reaction - drug effects; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chlortetracycline - pharmacology; Depression, Chemical; Female; Fluorescence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - toxicity; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Mammalian male genital system; Morphology. Physiology; Oocytes - drug effects; Oxidants - toxicity; oxygen; Penetration; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Sperm; Sperm Capacitation - drug effects; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Sperm-Ovum Interactions - drug effects; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Vertebrates: reproduction; Zona pellucida; Zona Pellucida - drug effects; CTC, Chlortetracycline; Hydrogen peroxide; Sperm; Acrosome reaction; H 2O 2, Hydrogen peroxide; PMSG, Postmenopausal serum gonadotropin; Zona pellucida; BSA, Bovine serum albumin; LPC, Lysophosphatidyl choline; SOPR, Sperm–oocyte penetration rate; Penetration; ROS, Reactive oxygen species; hCG, Human chorionic gonadotropin; S.D., Standard deviation; HTF, Human tubule fluid; PBS, Phosphate-buffered saline; DMSO, Dimethyl sulfoxide; Oxidative stress; Reproduction diseases; Rat; Semen; Toxicity; Rodentia; Hydrogen Peroxides; Sterility; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Fertility; Animal; Mechanism of action; Male genital diseases; Oocyte
• ISSN: 0300-483X; 1879-3185
• DOI: 10.1016/S0300-483X(99)00107-9

Recent studies have demonstrated that mammalian sperm are capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that this activity is significantly accelerated in subfertile subjects. The observed decrease in penetration of zona-intact oocyte might be explained by chemical-induced ROS-related early onset of capacitation and premature acrosome reaction, but the mechanism is not clear. We determine whether zona-intact oocyte penetration capability in rat epididymal sperm was affected by premature acrosome reaction in rat sperm treated with hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) and calcium ionophore A23187 or H 2O 2 and lysophosphatidyl choline. Chlortetracycline fluorescence assay was used to study the status of acrosome reaction on epididymal sperm. The sperm–oocyte binding and penetration assay was used to evaluate the capability for zona pellucida penetration. There was a positive linear correlation between the frequency of acrosome-reacted sperm and capability of sperm–oocyte binding and penetration in zona-free oocytes. In the zona-intact oocytes, the sperm–oocyte penetration rate was suppressed as the proportions of acrosome-reacted sperm increased. In summary, this study showed that premature acrosome reaction reduced rat sperm’s capability of penetrating zona-intact oocytes. However, this reduction is not seen in zona-free oocytes. These findings may provide a basis for understanding the effects of sperm ROS generation on zona pellucida penetration in male reproductive toxicology.