Evaluation of Different Sperm Immunization Methods in Mice

Background: Antifertility effect of naturally occuring antisperm antibody (ASA) in infertile couples and studies on experimental immunization of various animals with sperm antigens represents ASA as immunocontraceptive target. Despite extensive research on the effects of different factors on sperm immunogenecity and ASA production variable result have been reported. Objective: To study whole sperm immunization in mice. Methods: In an experimental study, whole mice sperm with different adjuvant i.e. complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA), incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (ICFA), and cholera toxin subunit- β (CTS-β) were administrated to mice intramuscularly (IM), subcutaneously (SC), intranasally (IN), intra-peritoneally (IP), intrarectally (IR), intravaginally (IVA) and orally. Control groups were inoculated with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) plus corresponding adjuvant. Immunization was carried out on days 0, 7, 14, 28 and ASA titers were detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) technique in sera and vaginal washes of all groups. The IP group was further excluded from the study due to high mortality rate. The results were compared between control and experimental groups by Mann Whitney and Fisher exact tests. Results: The number of positive mice for ASA in IM, SC, IN experimental and control groups were significantly different (P = 0.01, P = 0.01, P = 0.04, respectively). However, there were no significant differences between IR, IVA, and oral experimental and control groups. No differences were observed between ASA in vaginal washing of all groups. Due to high mortality in IP group it was excluded from the study. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the whole sperm antigen can induce immune response in female mice by IM, SC, IN but not IAV, IR and oral administration routes.