Abstract
The peanut-agglutinin assay is used to assess the acrosomal status of sperm. This assay is an indicator of semen quality as male infertility may be caused by spermatozoa lacking intact acrosomes at ejaculation. Acrosomal status after induction of the acrosome reaction can be assessed by microscopy or flow cytometry with fluorescently labeled lectins, such as Pisum sativum (pea agglutinin) or Arachis hypogaea (peanut lectin), or monoclonal antibodies against the acrosome antigen CD46. Acrosome reaction is an exocytotic process that occurs after the spermatozoa bind to the zona pellucida and must take place before the spermatozoon can penetrate the oocyte layers and fertilize the oocyte. A very small percentage of spermatozoa undergo spontaneous acrosome reaction (<5 %). In many patients premature acrosome reaction may occur, and these spermatozoa lose the ability to fertilize as the acrosomal enzymes are released even in the absence of the egg in its vicinity. After capacitation, the spermatozoon is ready to undergo acrosome reaction. Competence of capacitated spermatozoa can be tested by using calcium ionophore.
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Agarwal, A., Gupta, S., Sharma, R. (2016). Acrosome Reaction Measurement. In: Agarwal, A., Gupta, S., Sharma, R. (eds) Andrological Evaluation of Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26797-5_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26797-5_19
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