Detection Of Antisperm Antibodies By Elisa System In The Cervical Mucus Of Women With Unexplained Infertility
Keywords:
Antisperm Antibodies, Elisa System, InfertilityAbstract
Background and Objectives: Unexplained infertility occurs in many couples of childbearing age, immune mechanisms have been postulated in this disorder for the last few decades. Circulating antibodies against spermatozoa present in serum and seminal plasma have been especially implicated. This autoimmunity against spermatozoa has been investigated in males, while the isoimmunity (in the females) has got low attention.
Methods: Fifty women with unexplained infertility and twenty fertile women were involved in this case-control study. ELISA system was prepared and used to detect antisperm antibody (ASA) in cervical mucus (CM) and serum specimens of both groups of women. CM was collected at mid-cycle period and dissolved mechanically (not by bromeline).
Results: Thirty percent of infertile women have IgG-ASA in their serum and 20% have IgA-ASA in the CM, while 22% of fertile women have IgG-ASA in their serum and no fertile women have any titer of IgA-ASA in their CM specimens. Only CM-IgA-ASA of infertile women showed significant statistical correlation with cellular property of CM, which was scored according to Insler score.
Conclusions: It is concluded that ELISA test is sensitive and specific test for detection of serum and secreted ASA. Also, secretory IgA-ASA are more indicative and have potential role in immunological infertility as iso-immunity than IgG-ASA. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that immunological infertility should be considered as an important cause of infertility and to be having a special interest by clinicians.
Metrics
References
Best CL, Joseph AH: Immunology and unexplained infertility. Infert Reprod Med Clinic North Am. 1997; 8(4):545-72.
Marshburn PB: Antisperm antibodies and infertility. Infert Reprod Med Clinic North Am.1997: 8(2):243-66.
Choudhury SR, Knapp LA: Human reproduction failure I: Immunologic factors. Hum Reprod Update. 2000; 7(2): 113-134.
Kutteh WH, Hatch KD, Blackwell RE: Secretory immune system of the female reproductive tract. I. Immunoglobulin and secretory component-containing cells. Obstet Gynecol. 1988; 71: 56-60.
Kutteh WH, Stovall DW Scott JR: The immunologic diagnosis and treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss. Infert Reprod Med Clinic North Am. 1997: 8(2):267-71.
Menge AC, Medley NE, Mangione CM, Dietrich JW: The incidence and influence of antisperm antibodies in infertile human couples on sperm- cervical mucus interactions and subsequent fertility. Fertil Steril. 1982; 38: 439.
Kamieniczna M, Domagla A, Kurpisz M: The frequency of antisperm antibodies in infertile couples- a polish pilot study. Med Sci Monit. 2003; ((4): 194-201.
Insler V, Melmed H, Serr DM, Lunenfeld B: The cervical score: a simple semiquanitative method for monitoring of the menstrual cycle. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1972;10: 223.
Van Kooij RJ: Solubilization of cervical mucus with bromeline and mechanical means. Int J Fertil. 1984; 29: 81-4.
Wolff H, Schill WB: Determination of sperm antibodies in human genital secretions by an ELISA technique. Hum Reprod. 1988; 3(2):223-5.
Lopata A, Pattulo MJ, Chang A, James B: A method for collecting motile spermatozoa from semen. Fertil Steril. 1987; 27: 677.
Bradford Hill A: A short text book of Medical statistics, 11th edition, (1984), Edward Arnold.
WHO: Laboratory manual for the examination of human semen and semen-cervical mucus interaction.4th edition. Cambridge University press, Cambridge (1999).
Gelety TJ, Buyalos RP: The effect of clomiphene citrate and menopausal gonadotropins on cervical mucus in ovulatory cycles. Fertil Steril. 1993; 60(3):471-6.
Gibor Y, Garcia CJ, Cohen MR: The cyclical changes in the physical properties of the cervical mucus and the results of the postcoital test .Fertil Steril. 1970; 21: (1): 20-7.
Moghissi K, Sacco AG, Borin K: Immunolgic infertility I: cervical mucus antibodies and postcoital test. Am J Obstet Gyneacol.1980; 136:941
Eggert-Kruse W, Gerhard I,Hofmann H: Influence of microbial colonization on sperm mucus interaction in vivo and in vitro. Hum Reprod. 1987;2:301.
Eggert-Kruse W, Bockem-Hellwing S: Antispern antibodies in cerviacal mucus in an unselected subfertile population. Hum Reprod. 1993; 8(7): 1025-31.
Eggert-kruse W, Tilgen W, Lenhos G, Gerhard I: Prognostic value in vitro sperm penetration in to hormonally standardized human cervical mucus. Fertil Steril. 1989; 51(2):317-23.
Al-Daghistani: Some immunological and bacteriological factors in infertile women. Ph.D. thesis in College of Scince- Baghdad University. 1997.
Ali NH: Auto- and Iso immunity in couples with immunological infertility. Ph.D. thesis in College of Medicine – Al-Mustansiriya University. 2006.
Brandtzaeg P: Mucosal immunity in the female genital tract. J Reprod Immunol. 1997; 36:23-50.
Brandtzaeg P, Halstensen TS, Kett K, Kvale D: Immunobiology and immnopathology of human mucosa: humoral immunity and intraepithelial lymphocytes. Gastroentrology. 1989; 97: 1562-84.
Morgan H, Stedronska J, Hendry W: Sperm/ cervical mucus crossed hostility testing and antisperm antibodies in the husband. Lancet. 1977; 11: 1228.
Goldsby RA, Kindt TJ, Obsorne AB (eds): Kuby immunology, 4th edition (2000), ch. 6, pp.161.
Strober W,Fuss IJ: The mucosal immune system. In: Parslow TG, Stites DP, Terr AI, Imboden JB (Eds). Medical Immunology.10th edition. 2001. Lange Medical Books. Ch. 14. pp 204.
Butcher EC: Lymphocyte homing and intestinal immunity. In: Orga PL (Ed.) Mucosal immunology. 1999. Academic press
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The copyright on any article published in Zanco J Med Sci is retained by the author(s) in agreement with the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
