Influence of sera from spermatozoa-immunized mice on the in vitro fertilization rate of the mouse (author's transl)

The present paper describes the influence of antibodies against spermatozoa on the in vitro fertilization of inbred mice. "Antibodies against spermatozoa' were obtained by immunization in the syngeneic and allogeneic system of C57BL/J Hand and C3H/2He female mice with washed spermatozoa of the corresponding male partners. These antibodies were added to the in vitro culture. The resulting fertilization rates were compared with control cultures where sera of non-immunized and erythrocytes sensitized mice were added. For comparison the same experiments were performed with isolated gamma-globulin fractions of the antisera. The influence of the antibodies against spermatozoa was deomonstrated by the reduction of the cleavage rate (1-2% cleaved oocytes) in comparison to the normally acheived fertilization rate of about 50%. In addition, the oocytes of the experimental group revealed shrinking of the cell mass in all cases.