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Strontium Supports Human Sperm Capacitation but Not Follicular Fluid-Induced Acrosome Reaction¹

^a Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina Fertilab, ^b (1116) Buenos Aires, Argentina

The ability of strontium (Sr²⁺) to replace calcium (Ca²⁺) in maintaining human sperm function has still not been completely characterized. In the present study, acrosome reaction (AR) inducibility in response to human follicular fluid (hFF) was compared in spermatozoa incubated in either Ca²⁺- or Sr²⁺-containing media. Other events related to sperm capacitation, such as protein tyrosine phosphorylation and hyperactivation as well as zona pellucida (ZP) recognition under both conditions, were also analyzed. Spermatozoa incubated overnight in the presence of Sr²⁺ were unable to undergo the AR when exposed to hFF. Nevertheless, when spermatozoa were incubated under this condition and then transferred to medium with Ca²⁺, sperm response to hFF was similar to that of cells incubated throughout in the presence of Ca²⁺. The sperm protein tyrosine phosphorylation patterns and the percentages of sperm motility and hyperactivation were similar after incubation in Ca²⁺- or Sr²⁺-containing media. Under both conditions, the same binding capacity to homologous ZP was observed. Similar results were obtained when EGTA was added in order to chelate traces of Ca²⁺ present in Sr²⁺ medium. From these results, it can be concluded that Sr²⁺ can replace Ca²⁺ in supporting capacitation-related events and ZP binding, but not hFF-induced AR of human spermatozoa.

¹ This work was supported by the Rockefeller Foundation (grant #9439), the World Health Organization (Career Development Fellowship to P.V.M. and project #97175), the Programa Latimoamericano de Capacitación e Investigación en Reproducción Humana (PLACIRH, Re-Entry Grant PRE-014/97), and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) of Argentina.

² Correspondence: Clara I. Marín-Briggiler, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Vuelta de Obligado 2490, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina. FAX: 54 11 4786 2564; cmarin{at}dna.uba.ar

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