Inhibitory effects of human seminal plasma on an ELISA used to detect anti-sperm antibodies: Implications for the determination of sperm quality

The in vitro inhibitory effect of human seminal plasma on an ELISA used to detect anti-sperm antibodies have been observed. The mean inhibition rate of seminal plasma samples from 75 men was 61.5 +/- 23.1%. The inhibition rate of 29 samples from normal sperm group was 71.14 +/- 18.25%, while that of 46 samples from the abnormal sperm group was 55.43 +/- 23.98%. The results show that human seminal plasma from semen with high quality sperms possesses a high inhibitory rate to anti-sperm antibody reactions, suggesting its efficiency for immunosuppression of humoral immune reactions. Its possible implications are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.