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PROBLEM: This study was performed to investigate if patients’ sera with anti-human sperm antibodies show inhibitory effects on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo development in mice. METHOD OF STUDY: Patients’ sera were collected from eight infertile women having sperm immobilizing antibodies and 17 infertile women without the antibodies. Male ICR mice and female F1 mice (BALB/c X C57BL/6J) were used. In mouse IVF, pre-incubated sperm were cultured in the medium containing patient's serum with or without sperm immobilizing antibodies, or bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a control. The fertilization rates and the incidences of blastocyst formation were compared. RESULTS: A mouse sperm immobilization test was established. Five (62.5%) of eight serum samples with sperm immobilizing antibodies and nine (52.9%) of 17 serum samples without the antibodies showed sperm immobilizing activities in mice. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Five sera with sperm immobilizing activities in human and mice, and five sera without sperm immobilizing activities in human or mice were used for the further experiments. The fertilization rates in BSA, patient's serum with sperm immobilizing antibodies, and that without the antibodies were 82.5% (746/904), 43.6% (508/1165), and 64.5% (669/1037), respectively. There were significant differences between the groups. The incidences of blastocyst formation were 59.9% (447/746), 31.7% (161/508), and 47.7% (319/669), respectively. There were also significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the patient's serum with and without sperm immobilizing antibodies could immobilize sperm with complement. However, as compared with control, sera with sperm immobilizing activities against human and mouse sperm significantly blocked IVF and inhibited embryo development in mice. Further studies are required to investigate the mechanisms of the blocking effects of antisperm antibodies on... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) in serum were detected in male ICR mice fed drinking water containing 3, 30 and 300 ppm Cd as CdCl2 for 10 weeks. In response to Cd exposure, ICR mice developed ANA of the IgG class giving nuclear patterns moderately stained by immunofluorescence or immunoenzyme method. Positive immunofluorescence staining of ANA was obtained in 50, 89 and 90% of ICR mice exposed to 3, 30 and 300 ppm Cd, respectively. Their spleen cells also showed an enhancement of antibody forming response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) without the SRBC priming. When mice were primed with SRBC after exposure lo Cd, however, a significant suppression of the antibody forming response was observed in mice fed 300 ppm Cd but not in those fed 3ppmCd. No significant differences in delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction lo SRBC were observed between Cd-fed and control animals. Inbred BALB/c mice were less susceptible to the induction of ANA by Cd, as induced only in 300 ppm Cd-fed mice. Thus environmental exposure to Cd can induce ANA in ICR mice with a high susceptibility, presumably accompanied with a non-specific stimulation of antibody formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Background data on the allergic constitutions of a general population of Japanese children may provide important information regarding environmental factors that contribute to the increased incidence of allergic diseases and suggest clues for their prevention. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from a general population of 3-year-old children (612 samples) in the Kanto area and Asahikawa city. The serum levels of total and specific IgE antibodies against food allergens (egg white, milk, soybean, wheat), indoor airborne allergens (house dust, mite, cat dandruff), and outdoor airborne allergens (Japanese cedar or white birch pollen allergens) were determined and analyzed, along with the results of a questionnaire regarding medical history, and allergy-related subjective symptoms. Results: The mean total IgE level of all subjects was 34.7 IU/ml, while that for the Kanto and Asahikawa areas was 44.7 and 22.5 IU/ml, respectively. Twenty six percent of the 612 children were judged positive for indoor airborne allergen-specific IgE, and 6.7% were positive for food allergen-specific IgE. Cedar allergen-specific IgE was detected in 15.6% of the children living in the Kanto area. The total IgE level was strongly correlated with the number of allergens to which the child was sensitized. Conclusions: A relatively large number (28.4%) of 3-year-old children possessed allergen-specific IgE antibodies. The basic data obtained in the general population in these two areas of Japan will be valuable for further evaluations of environmental influences on allergic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]