Abstract
AbstractThe functional capacity for sperm interaction with the human zona pellucida and zona‐free hamster oocyte was tested after human spermatozoa were capacitated by passage through a column of human cervical mucus. The results were compared with those obtained when spermatozoa from an aliquot of the same semen sample were capacitated by the standard laboratory methods involving sequential washing by dilution and centrifugation of the semen. Washed‐capacitated sperm suspensions were more successful than mucus‐capacitated sperm in attaching to the zona‐free hamster oocyte and in fusing with its oolemma. However, the ability of mucus‐capacitated sperm to penetrate the human zona pellucida was equal to washed capacitated sperm. These experiments demonstrate an approach that may be useful in comparative studies of human sperm capacitation in vivo and in vitro.
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