Relationship Between Nitric Oxide (NO) in Follicular Fluid and Sperm Fertilization Ability

Summary

Several studies indicate that Nitric Oxide (NO) plays an important role in the physiology of the reproductive system in mammals. It has been shown that NO affects sperm motility, it regulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of different sperm proteins, it enhances the sperm binding ability to the zona pellucida and it modulates the acrosome reaction.

The enzyme responsible for NO synthesis, the Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS), has also been identified in the oocytes, cumulus and corona cells, as well as in the oviduct. For these reasons, the NOS presence at the fertilization site could be a key element to determine the success of this process. Therefore, carrying out in vitro studies to better understand NO's role in the fertilization process, especially in human sperm capacitation, could improve the outcome of the Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) due to an improvement both in the diagnosis of infertility and in the prognosis of treatment success.

This study is carried out in collaboration with the Animal Physiology Department from the Veterinary Faculty (University of Murcia, Spain) and it is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme.

Conditions

• Male Infertility

Interventions

OTHER

Control (fertile semen donors)

The sperm will be capacitated in the presence and absence of follicular fluid (FF). In a first set of experiments, the FF will be supplemented with L-Arginine and the NOS inhibitor L-NAME. In another set of experiments the same supplementations to the capacitation medium will be examined, but without using FF. Changes in NOS expression, protein nitrosylation, PKA activity, tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine nitration in sperm will be determined.

OTHER

Patients (subfertile men)

The sperm will be capacitated in the presence and absence of follicular fluid (FF). In a first set of experiments, the FF will be supplemented with L-Arginine and the NOS inhibitor L-NAME. In another set of experiments the same supplementations to the capacitation medium will be examined, but without using FF. Changes in NOS expression, protein nitrosylation, PKA activity, tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine nitration in sperm will be determined.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad de Murcia

  collaborator OTHER

• Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

  collaborator OTHER

• European Commission

  collaborator OTHER

• IVI Murcia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Carmen Matas Parra, Professor · University of Murcia (Spain)

• Juan Carlos Martinez Soto, MD, PhD · IVI Murcia (Spain)

• Jorge Chavarro, MD, PhD · Harvard University

• Florentin-Daniel Staicu, MSc · University of Murcia (Spain)

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-21

Primary Completion

2018-12-31

Completion

2019-10-31

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations