Effect of NGF on the motility and acrosome reaction of golden hamster spermatozoa in vitro

Abstract

Motility and fertilizing ability are known to be two important physiological attributes of a mature sperm, yet the mechanism by which spermatozoa mature and become motile remains largely unknown. It has been shown that nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein essential for the development, maintenance and survival of the peripheral and central nervous systems. However, the presence of high levels of NGF protein and mRNA do not correlate with the innervations by NGF sensitive fibers in tissues such as the testis, prostate and seminal vesicles. These observations have shifted the attention of research to the role of NGF outside of the nervous system. Here, we demonstrate that NGF and its receptors TrkA and p75 are widely expressed in the testis, accessory reproductive organ, and the epididymal sperms. We also show that NGF stimulates two important aspects of sperm functions, motility and the acrosome reaction, in a time- and dose-dependent manner. NGF activated the sperm cell acrosome reaction, while addition of inhibitors specific for MAPK kinase significantly blocked the sperm acrosome reaction. Taken together, our findings suggest that NGF plays an integral role in sperm motility and the acrosome reaction through, at least in part, the MAPK signalling pathway. © 2010 by the Society for Reproduction and Development.