Molecular Markers of Human Sperm Function

May 9, 2012 updated by: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Objectives:

Male factor infertility is poorly understood and our ability to evaluate the male contribution to a couple's infertility is very limited. The overarching goal of this project is to understand at the molecular level what functional activities in human sperm are required for successful fertilization leading to full term development. These findings will allow us to develop new methods to determine the impact of environmental exposures on sperm quality and male fertility.

A sperm protein known as phospholipase C zeta (PLC zeta) initiates embryo development at fertilization. The primary objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that human PLC zeta activity correlates directly with the proportion of fertilized eggs that undergo early cleavage during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Secondary objectives for the study are to generate preliminary data regarding the variability in sperm PLC zeta activity within and between individuals and to determine if there are clinical or laboratory correlates for sperm PLC zeta activity.

Study population:

The study population will consist of 178 infertile couples undergoing IVF procedures at Duke Fertility Center (DFC) from which we will obtain 154 evaluable couples for the study.

Overall Design:

An observational cohort study design will be used to assess the association of PLC zeta activity in the residual sperm from the sample used for an IVF cycle with the proportion of eggs per couple that undergo early cleavage during the same cycle. Infertile couples enrolling in an IVF treatment cycle at DFC will be approached for inclusion in the study. Consent will be obtained from both male and female partners, and historical medical information and information about their IVF cycle will be collected by chart review. Blood for isolation of serum and DNA will be collected only from the male partner for evaluation of hormone levels and genetic analyses related to infertility. On the day of the egg retrieval, residual sperm not needed for clinical purposes will be transported via courier to NIEHS. Sperm PLC zeta activity will be measured in the investigator's laboratory using an experimental bioassay. Sperm PLC zeta protein will be analyzed at the University of Massachusetts.

Outcome Parameters:

The primary outcome will be the proportion of embryos that undergo early cleavage. Secondary outcomes will include proportion of eggs fertilized, embryo development parameters, and p...

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Detailed Description

Objectives:

Male factor infertility is poorly understood and our ability to evaluate the male contribution to a couple's infertility is very limited. The overarching goal of this project is to understand at the molecular level what functional activities in human sperm are required for successful fertilization leading to full term development. These findings will allow us to develop new methods to determine the impact of environmental exposures on sperm quality and male fertility.

A sperm protein known as phospholipase C zeta (PLC zeta) initiates embryo development at fertilization. The primary objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that human PLC zeta activity correlates directly with the proportion of fertilized eggs that undergo early cleavage during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Secondary objectives for the study are to generate preliminary data regarding the variability in sperm PLC zeta activity within and between individuals and to determine if there are clinical or laboratory correlates for sperm PLC zeta activity.

Study population:

The study population will consist of 178 infertile couples undergoing IVF procedures at Duke Fertility Center (DFC) from which we will obtain 154 evaluable couples for the study.

Overall Design:

An observational cohort study design will be used to assess the association of PLC zeta activity in the residual sperm from the sample used for an IVF cycle with the proportion of eggs per couple that undergo early cleavage during the same cycle. Infertile couples enrolling in an IVF treatment cycle at DFC will be approached for inclusion in the study. Consent will be obtained from both male and female partners, and historical medical information and information about their IVF cycle will be collected by chart review. Blood for isolation of serum and DNA will be collected only from the male partner for evaluation of hormone levels and genetic analyses related to infertility. On the day of the egg retrieval, residual sperm not needed for clinical purposes will be transported via courier to NIEHS. Sperm PLC zeta activity will be measured in the investigator's laboratory using an experimental bioassay. Sperm PLC zeta protein will be analyzed at the University of Massachusetts.

Outcome Parameters:

The primary outcome will be the proportion of embryos that undergo early cleavage. Secondary outcomes will include proportion of eggs fertilized, embryo development parameters, and pregnancy outcome. Association of PLC zeta activity with male partner's clinical or laboratory information will be determined. Variability in sperm PLC zeta activity will be determined within and between individuals.

Study Type

Observational

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
        • Duke University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • Infertile couples undergoing an ART cycle at DFC in which eggs are retrieved from the female partner. This type of ART cycle comprises approximately 80-90 percent of the ART cycles at DFC.
  • Infertile couples undergoing an ART cycle at DFC in which the eggs are retrieved from an anonymous egg donor. Approximately 10-20 percent of the ART cycles at DFC involve anonymous egg donation.
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent.
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 (both partners in couple). Essentially all infertile couples who enter clinical ART programs at least age 18.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Previous completed participation in the study. A complete data set will be obtained from either partner of a couple only once for this study.
  • Cancellation of the ART cycle prior to egg retrieval, or no fertilizable eggs retrieved. In this case it would not be possible to determine our primary outcome.
  • Age less than 18 (either partner in couple). Because they so rarely experience clinical infertility, we do not expect any couples under age 18 to enter the ART program, so we will not include these as subjects.
  • Use of frozen sperm to inseminate eggs. The rationale for this exclusion is that the effect of cryopreservation reagents on PLC zeta activity is unknown, and very few of the ART cycles at DFC utilize donor sperm so we would not be able to control appropriately for this confounder.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 4, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 4, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

October 7, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 10, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2012

Last Verified

May 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 999909001
  • 09-E-N001

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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