Abstract
Magainins are antimicrobial peptides with known spermicidal activity. Their activity is inhibited by cholesterol present in eukaryotic cell membranes. Pretreatment of spermatozoa with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, which extracts cholesterol from cell membranes and induces capacitation, sensitizes them to magainin-2-amide as shown by a decrease in human sperm motility determined by computer-assisted sperm analysis and a concomitant decrease in sperm viability, as measured by MitoTracker® Red CMXRos labeling. Magainin-2-amide affects mainly the fast progressive spermatozoa inducing them directly into an immotile state, without an increase in motile non-progressive and slow progressive spermatozoa. We conclude that methyl-β-cyclodextrin highly potentiates the deleterious effect of magainin-2-amide on human spermatozoa. Most probably, this effect can be explained by cholesterol extraction from sperm cell membranes. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 99-103 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Contraception |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cyclodextrin
- Human spermatozoa
- Magainin-2-amide
- Sperm motility
- Sperm viability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Reproductive Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology