It is well known that the plasma membranes of mammalian spermatozoa undergo extensive remodeling during maturation in the epididymal duct. In this investigation, we have used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) techniques to: 1) measure rates of lipid diffusion in the plasma membrane of mouse spermatozoa at different stages of maturation; 2) examine the effects of varying external...

When proacrosin from mouse epididymal spermatozoa was activated a single form of acrosin was produced. The enzyme was isolated by gel filtration followed by affinity chromatography using Sepharose-4B linked to an acrosin inhibitor p-(p'-aminophenoxypropoxy)benzamidine. The molecular weight of partly purified acrosin was 53 000 by gel filtration, and of the pure enzyme 39 000 by SDS-polyacrylami...

Objective: The study aimed to compare intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcome of patients with epididymal sperm and testicular sperm in different paternal age with obstructive azoospermia. Methods: We retrospectively studied the records of 177 men with obstructive azoospermia who underwent sperm retrieval for ICSI. 71 cases were performed with testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), 106 cas...

BACKGROUND The epithelium lining the epididymis provides an optimal acidic fluid microenvironment in the epididymal tract that enable spermatozoa to complete the maturation process. The present study aims to investigate the functional role of Na(+)/HCO(3)(-) cotransporter in the pH regulation in rat epididymis. METHOD/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Immunofluorescence staining of pan cytokeratin in the pr...

Concern has arisen over human exposures to radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RFEMR), including a recent report indicating that regular mobile phone use can negatively impact upon human semen quality. These effects would be particularly serious if the biological effects of RFEMR included the induction of DNA damage in male germ cells. In this study, mice were exposed to 900 MHz RFEMR at...