INDUCTION OF THE ACROSOME REACTION TO EVALUATE THE FERTILIZATION CAPABILITY OF MAMMALIAN SPERM

摘要

Disclosed is a method of evaluating the in vitro or in vivo fertilization capability of a given sperm sample. The method involves the steps of capacitating a sample of mammalian sperm cells followed by incubating the capacitated sperm with a predetermined amount of a glycoside-macromolecule conjugate such as a neoglycoprotein or a glycodendrimer for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to induce an acrosome reaction in the sperm. This step effectively mimics the physiological reaction that occurs in vivo between a sperm and an egg. The extent of the conjugate-induced acrosome reaction in the sperm cells relative to a positive control and a negative control, which account for the percent of sperm in the sample that acrosome react non-physiologically and spontaneously, respectively, is then calculated. The fertilization capability of the sperm is then evaluated as a function of the extent of this calculation. Also disclosed are kits which contain the necessary materials for conducting the method in a clinical laboratory.