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Biomedical subjects

S Mathur

Publications and source records attributed to S Mathur.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Efficacy of sperm wash media in improving sperm motility.

Spermatozoa from 15 fertile men were washed with Ham's F10 and incubated with two commercially available sperm nutrient media for 2, 4, 6, and 24 h. Both sperm capacitation medium (Irvine Scientific Co., Santa Ana, CA) and Pro-ception (Milex Products, Inc., Chicago, IL) proved to be capable of improving sperm motion characteristics. These media may be used for incubating sperm for intrauterine insemination or for in vitro fertilization.

Culture Media

Fibronectin concentrations in plasma in peripheral vascular disease.

Fibronectin (Fn) concentrations were measured immunoturbidimetrically in plasma of normal subjects and patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) before and after venous compression, which caused Fn concentrations to increase in both normal subjects and PVD patients. Basal Fn concentrations and those after 10-min compression were not significantly different in normal subjects and PVD patients. Five minutes after the release of compression, Fn had consistently declined in normal subjects and reverted to baseline values; in contrast, in PVD patients values either increased further or decreased inconsistently. Thus the Fn concentration at 15 min was significantly (P less than 0.001) greater in PVD patients than in normal subjects. Plasma albumin concentrations, measured in parallel to ensure that changes in Fn concentrations were not nonspecific, increased to a greater extent in normal subjects than in PVD patients and reverted to normal after the removal of compression. The Fn/albumin ratio remained unchanged in normal subjects after venous compression, whereas that in PVD patients increased and remained higher, even after decompression. The sustained increase in plasma Fn concentrations and in the Fn/albumin ratio in PVD patients after venous compression may indicate endothelial injury.

Age Factors

Cytotoxic sperm antibodies and in vitro fertilization of mature oocytes: a preliminary report.

The fertilization rates of mature oocytes during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) using fetal cord serum-supplemented insemination media were greater than or equal to 57% for five infertile couples without sperm antibodies (group 1). But they were less than or equal to 50% for four of nine infertile couples (group 2) with cytotoxic sperm antibodies in both partners (n = 6) or the husband alone (n = 3). Two women in group 1 were successful in achieving normal, full-term pregnancies with the delivery of normal infants (chi2 = 4.2, P less than 0.05, by chi-square analysis). One of them consistently tested negative for sperm antibodies, while her husband was previously treated with antibiotics for infection and transient sperm antibodies in the seminal plasma. Subsequently, antibody titers in the husband were in the normal range when the successful IVF-ET was performed. One woman in group 2, with antibodies to her autoimmune husband's sperm but not control sperm and with a long-standing poor postcoital test sperm motility, conceived through artificial insemination with donor sperm (AID) after failing to conceive with her husband through IVF-ET. These data suggest that the presence of cytotoxic sperm antibodies in the serum and/or secretions of both partners reduces the rates of fertilization of mature oocytes in spite of using fetal cord serum in the IVF media. Pregnancy achievement is impaired in this group.

Antibodies

Sperm and seminal plasma antigens from autoimmune men induce immunological infertility.

Adult male rabbits were immunized with normal saline (controls), sperm extracts from 2 autoimmune men, seminal plasmas from the same autoimmune men, sperm extract from a fertile nonautoimmune man, and seminal plasma from the same fertile nonautoimmune man. All the sperm donors were free from infections. Rabbits immunized with fertile men's sperm extract and seminal plasma had significantly elevated postimmunization hemagglutinating but not cytotoxic sperm antibodies and reproduced normally. Rabbits immunized with autoimmune men's sperm and seminal plasma antigens developed high titers of cytotoxic and hemagglutinating sperm antibodies in their serum and seminal plasma and their reproduction was markedly reduced. Their sera and seminal plasma reduced motility of sperm from a normal donor. The immune responses were confirmed by electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. This technique revealed membrane-bound endogenous IgG on sperm from only those rabbits immunized with sperm extracts from autoimmune men. These antisera reacted against a protein in the 58,000 D range; antisera to fertile man's sperm extract reacted against three proteins with molecular weights of 15,000, 18,400, 25,000, and 44,000 D, as judged by Western blot. Rabbit antisera to seminal plasma from autoimmune men reacted against several proteins; additionally, it detected two proteins with 43,000 and 68,000 molecular weight detected by antiserum to fertile man's seminal plasma. Sperm and seminal plasma antigens from autoimmune men are different in their elicited immunogenic responses from those of fertile nonautoimmune men. These responses are relevant to infertility.

Animals

Leukocyte migration inhibitory factor (LIF) to sperm from autoimmune men in infertile couples.

Leukocyte migration inhibitory factor (LIF) is produced by lymphocytes with receptors specific to sensitizing antigens. This principle was used to detect possible antigenic differences between sperm of autoimmune and nonautoimmune men. Sixteen fertile and 91 infertile couples were screened for cytotoxic and hemagglutinating antibodies to sperm from their husbands and controls. Their lymphocytes were tested for the production of LIF to sperm extracts and seminal plasma from the husbands and controls by a direct leukocyte migration inhibition assay. Twenty-nine of 35 men producing LIF to sperm and/or seminal plasma were positive for sperm antibodies (p = 0.0004, vs sperm antibody-negative controls). Twenty-three of 29 wives with LIF production had sperm-autoimmune husbands (p = 0.04). Leukocyte migration was significantly inhibited in sperm-autoimmune men by autologous sperm extracts and seminal plasma in contrast to control sperm extracts and seminal plasma (p = 0.0006 and 0.001, respectively). The wives of autoimmune men had significantly higher LIF responses to their husbands' sperm extracts than to other antigens (p = 0.02). Men with cytotoxic antibodies in their seminal plasma produced LIF to autologous sperm (p = 0.001). It is suggested that certain sperm and seminal plasma antigens of autoimmune men may lead to specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in both partners.

Antilymphocyte Serum

Effect of feeding Gymnema sylvestre leaves on blood glucose in beryllium nitrate treated rats.

The feeding of powdered leaves of Gymnema sylvestre in the diet of rats for 10 days prior and 15 days after i.v. beryllium nitrate significantly protected the animals from the full fall of blood glucose seen in rats receiving beryllium nitrate alone. The feeding of the leaves for 25 days to normal rats did not alter blood glucose significantly. The leaves may contain a principle that could be useful as a prophylactic against beryllium toxicity.

Animals

Suppression of post-vasectomy cytotoxic sperm antibody formation in rats by a short-term pretreatment with cyclosporine.

The effect of a short pulse therapy with cyclosporine on the production of vasectomy-induced cytotoxic sperm antibodies was studied in Lewis rats. Cyclosporine at a dose of 10 mg/kg was administered once daily for 7 days before and 7 days after vasectomy (group A), for 7 days before vasectomy (group B), and for 7 days after vasectomy (group C). Ten rats were studied in each group for a period of 5 weeks. Ten rats were vasectomized and untreated with cyclosporine (group U). All animals in this group developed high titers of cytotoxic sperm antibodies at the end of the first week after vasectomy (primary antibody response). In contrast, all the treated rats of groups A, B, and C had a normal range of sperm antibody titers. By the third week, six of nine rats in the post-treated group C had significant cytotoxic sperm antibody titers, while the other groups had normal antibody titers. In the fourth week, all the rats of groups A and B continued to have normal sperm antibody titers of less than or equal to 16, while most animals in groups C (78%) and U (63%) had significant cytotoxic sperm antibody titers. It is concluded that prevasectomy treatment with cyclosporine may significantly reduce or delay the production of cytotoxic sperm antibodies in Lewis rats.

Animals

Motion characteristics of spermatozoa from men with cytotoxic sperm antibodies.

Semen samples from 55 fertile nonautoimmune and 44 infertile sperm autoimmune men were evaluated by computerized sperm cell motion analysis. Sperm counts (mean +/- SEM, 59.6 +/- 10.3 X 10(6) per ml), motility (39.0 +/- 4.6%), mean swimming speed (micron/sec, 26.5 +/- 0.9), mean linearity (straight line distance of the cell track divided by the actual track length and multiplied by 10, 6.5 +/- 0.2), and motility index (% motility X mean speed, 10.7 +/- 1.4) in 23 men with significant titers of cytotoxic sperm antibodies in their serum and seminal plasma were less (p less than 0.0001) than those in the fertile controls. However, these parameters were comparable in 18 men with sperm antibodies in their seminal plasma but not in their serum, and the control group. Infertile men with serum cytotoxic sperm antibodies had more sperm cells swimming at 11-30 micron/sec, and fewer moving at 31 micron or higher; this was in contrast to results obtained from fertile men (p less than 0.05). The percentages of sperm cells moving at 21-30 micron/sec were increased, while those moving at 51-60 microns/sec were decreased in men with seminal plasma sperm antibodies, versus controls. Spermatozoa with low linearities (less than or equal to 6) were higher (p less than 0.05) in men with serum and seminal plasma cytotoxic sperm antibodies than in the fertile group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Autoantibodies

Calcium pump activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum in diabetic rat skeletal muscle.

Ca2+ pump activity of skeletal muscle microsomes containing fragments of sarcoplasmic reticulum was examined in rats 8 wk after the induction of chronic diabetes by an intravenous injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg). In comparison with the control values, both ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake and Ca2+-stimulated ATPase activities were increased in the microsomal fraction from diabetic rats. These changes were seen as early as 7 days after streptozotocin injection and were apparent at various times of incubation (1-10 min) as well as at different concentrations of free Ca2+ (10(-7)-5 X 10(-5) M Ca2+). Insulin administration to diabetic animals for 2 wk reversed Ca2+ uptake and ATPase activities to control levels. The increase in microsomal ATPase activity of the diabetic preparation due to cAMP-dependent protein kinase or calmodulin was greater than in the control microsomes and the depression by a specific inhibitor of protein kinase, but not of calmodulin, was greater in diabetic muscle. The enhanced Ca2+ pump activity was associated with altered phospholipid composition and protein profile of the diabetic preparations. The rate of Ca2+ release from microsomal vesicles was unaffected by the diabetic condition. Isometric contractile force development as well as positive dF/dt and negative dF/dt of the skeletal muscle from diabetic animals were higher at different pulse strengths (0.5-100 V) and at different Ca2+ concentrations (0.25-2.5 mM). These results suggest that diabetes is associated with enhanced sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ pump activity, and this may account for the hyperfunction of skeletal muscle in this disease.

Adenosine Triphosphate