The Role of Acrosin in Sperm Penetration Through Human Cervical Mucus

Enzymes have been implicated in facilitating cervical mucus penetration by spermatozoa. One of these enzymes is the neutral proteinase acrosin, which is associated with the sperm acrosome. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, human spermatozoa were incubated with the following acrosin inhibitors: p-aminobenzamidine (AB), N-α-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), and p-nitropheyl-p'-guanidino benzoate (NPGB). An in vitro slide test system was developed which allowed inhibitor-treated and control spermatozoa to be evaluated against the same human cervical mucus sample. At inhibitor concentrations far exceeding those necessary for the inhibition of human acrosin, there was no effect on spermatozoal penetration into or through the mucus. These findings indicate that, in man, acrosin activity is neither necessary nor facilitory to sperm penetration of cervical mucus. Evidence is also presented that demonstrates the superiority of the newly developed double-interface slide test, especially for comparative purposes, over the tests currently in use.