Human peritoneal fluid has been claimed to influence sperm motility. This report gives evidence for the presence in midcycle peritoneal fluid of a protein-bound, lipidic (hydrophobic) component able to immobilize spermatozoa as a function of time. This component was extracted from molecular weightsieving and ion-exchange/high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-purified peritoneal fluid fractions by either chloroform/methanol or charcoal treatments; resuspension of the chloroform/methanol extract with BWW-buffer and subsequent testing on spermatozoa resulted in sperm immobilization. Sequential or step-down chromatographic procedures (molecular weight-sieving-cation-exchangeanion-exchange HPLC separations of native peritoneal fluid) and extensive dialysis against double distilled water allowed the purification of the sperm immobilizing factor, as evidenced by the shorter incubation times necessary for sperm immobilization. Furthermore, the active fraction was found to immobilize spermatozoa without affecting its viability. Separation of the chloroform/methanol extracted immobilizing fraction on thin layer chromatography under conditions for phospholipid detection allowed the identification of a characteristic band which, after re-extraction, was found to be the sperm immobilizing substance. This factor does not contain choline, ethanolamine or serine. These results suggest that some lipidic peritoneal fluid components may influence sperm motility.

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Chemical characterization of seminal vesicle secretion through seminal vesicle proteins would have the following advantages: (1) to judge on the secretory competence of the gland, (2) to recognize atypical secretory patterns, (3) to identify specific molecules and their epitopes for anatomical, diagnostic, therapeutic, anti-fertility and forensic purposes, and (4) to study physiologically active proteins or peptides of seminal plasma.There are different approaches for collection of the specific samples, each of which has peculiar advantages and disadvantages: ejaculate collection in the presence of protease inhibitors, use of split or multi-split ejaculates, utilization of autopsy or surgical material. Liquefied proteins are submitted to different chromatographic and electrophoretic procedures. One must keep in mind, however, that a whole series of biochemical processes can rapidly and irreversibly alter in vivo and in vitro the secretory proteins. The study of the secretion from male accessory sex glands and their interaction with spermatozoa therefore still deserves an absolute research priority. Zusammenfassung. Die chemische Charakterisierung des Blaschendrusensekrets durch die Blaschendrusenproteine hatte die folgenden Vorteile: 1. die sekretorische Aktivitat der Druse zu beurteilen, 2. atypische Sekretionsmuster zu erkennen, 3. spezifische Proteine zu identifizieren und ihre Epitope fur anatomische, diagnostische, therapeutische, kontrazeptive und forensische Zwecke zu nutzen und 4. die physiologische Rolle dieser Proteine bzw. Peptide zu untersuchen. Es gibt verschiedene Moglichkeiten der Gewinnung von Untersuchungsmaterial, bei denen jede mit eigenen Vor-und Nachteilen behaftet ist: Gewinnung von Ejakulaten in Anwesenheit von Protease-Hemmern, Verwendung von split-oder multisplit-Ejakulaten, Verwendung von Autopsie-oder Biopsie-Material. Die verflussigten Proteine werden durch verschiedene chromatographische oder elektrophoretische Methoden aufgetrennt. Man muB allerdings heachten, da13 eine ganze Reihe biochemischer Prozesse in vivo und in vitro das Muster der Proteine beeinflussen kann. Die Untersuchung des Sekrets der akzessorischen Geschlechtsdrusen und ihre Interaktion mit Spermien benotigt immer noch hochste Prioritat in der andrologischen Forschung.

Since progesterone has been claimed to induce acrosomal reaction and hyperactivated motility of human spermatozoa, the present study was undertaken to determine if its presence at concentrations similar to those of peri-ovulatory follicular fluid could influence the effect of peritoneal fluid on sperm motility in vitro. To this end, 11 sperm samples were incubated at 37 degrees C with five peritoneal fluids with/without exogenous progesterone, and sperm motility was assessed using a computer-assisted analyser at time (t) = 0, 2.5, 5 and 24 h. Overall there was no observable constant trend for enhancement or inhibition of sperm motility. Progesterone generally induced a negative effect on those sperm samples with high velocities in the native peritoneal fluids and a positive effect on those sperm samples demonstrating low motility in the native peritoneal fluids. The incorporation of progesterone into the incubation medium seemed to result in a 'tuning' of sperm velocity to around 30-50 micron/s. However, a given sperm sample reacted differently when incubated with various peritoneal fluids and, reciprocally, different semen samples incubated with the same peritoneal fluid showed very variable motility patterns. The greater variability of the effects exerted by progesterone on sperm motility could arise from the fact that each sperm sample may contain subpopulations of gametes with different sensitivity to progesterone.